July 8th - Reflection

James 2:14-26 (NRSV)
Faith produces good works

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe - and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

Reflection
Works never get us to heaven. If works alone got us to heaven, why would we need a Savior? From birth I was damned to sin, death and the devil. From birth! I was born a sinful adam. I was born into a race that was already condemned to hell. You can read about all that in Genesis. But, thanks be to God for the coming of Jesus. The Word made flesh came and dwelt among humans because our works could never save us from sin, death and the devil. So the Father sent the Son to take upon himself the sin of the world. Jesus took upon the sin of the world throughout all time. Jesus paid the price for our sin through his suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus gave each one of us the gift of life. The sinful adam I was born as, has now been redeemed through another man, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. And now through faith in Jesus, I am saved.

So, having been freely given this opportunity of faith through the works of Jesus; is that all there is? By no means! If I truly believe in all the God has given me, I will respond in joy to do the works God has called for me to do. I will respond in joy to God's call to action and works. I will respond in joy with thanksgiving and praise. I will respond, in joy, through bounteous good works as God directs. I no longer have to worry about getting to heaven through my works, because I will get to heaven through the works of Jesus.

Sure, the struggle with sin will continue in this world. But I know that Jesus will return for me. I know that Jesus will have final say in his Kingdom. I know that sin, death and the devil have already met their match. And I know that I can live my life in joy. I know that even though I may still sin, I can turn to God and repent and seek forgiveness and continue in my life of joyous praise to the works that Jesus has already performed. This does not mean that I will go and sin just because I know God forgives sin. It means that the sins I do fail at and commit, won't hold me back in my joyous response and the works that God has called me to do in his Kingdom. For God has taken sinful humans and is making us in God's image once again. God uses the sinful of this world, in the Kingdom, to proclaim with glory the works Jesus has done in this world.

Now, I have been released in great joy and gladness, to love God and my neighbor and gladly serve both in God's Kingdom. An eternal joy...from old adam to life in Christ. A joyous, released from the threat of sin life, to change into what God would have me be. From damned to hell, to released to life in Christ. So, shout and sing and priase God with joyful works for the faith and love you have been given through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, thank you for Jesus...thanks for saving me! --- Amen