Put Your Faith into Action!

 

'If you know these things...do them.' John 13:17 NKJV

Great service yesterday! Thanks for allowing me freedom to push your thought patterns as we looked at the basic's of Christianity. So today I'm going to push them a little farther. The Bible says, 'Faith without works is dead.' (James 2:20 NKJV) Certain prayers only get answered when you take action. When the woman with the issue of blood took the initiative, pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus' garment, He told her, 'Take heart...your faith has healed you.' (Matthew 9:22 NIV) And on another occasion we read, 'As He entered a certain village, there met Him ten...lepers...they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So...He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests..."' (Luke 17:12-14 NKJV) According to Jewish law, an unclean person discovered in the vicinity of the temple could be stoned to death. So by following Jesus' instructions these people were literally putting their lives on the line. But they did it, and 'as they went they were cleansed.' (Luke 17:14 NKJV) Jesus said, 'If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.' Your decisions and actions are based on what you believe. That's why I've been spending so much time in Ephesians going over the basic's of our faith. Listen: 'Anybody can believe...sitting in church, or when all is right in their life. But when you get outside, you find out what you've really got... Healing power was obviously available, and these men believed Jesus could heal them. That's why they came to him in the first place. They didn't doubt His ability...The key was, as soon as they did what Jesus told them they were healed.' So the word for you today is: Put your faith into action. You are loved!