To Do a Great Thing
To Do a Great Work
A humble knowledge of
oneself is a surer road to God than a deep searching of sciences . . . If only
such people were as diligent in the uprooting of vices and the planting of
virtues as they are in the debating of problems there would not be so many
scandals among the people, nor such laxity in our churches. At the Day of Judgment,
we (Christians) shall not be asked
what we have read but what we have done.
The Imitation of Christ – Thomas A Kempis
James 1:22–25 (NRSV)
22 But
be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For
if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at
themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on
going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But
those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being
not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
Meditation:
Let me
start off by saying that today’s message is for Christians only. Only those who
have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ will be able to truly
profit from this message. Trying to live this way without Jesus Christ and the
Holy Spirit will only lead to discouragement and disillusionment and ultimately
despair. Only a life reborn in Jesus Christ is able to make good use of what
will be said here.
To those
who have been born of the water and the Spirit the word given above is a
challenge to all of us. We have been given such a great inheritance in Christ
Jesus. Jesus really did pay it all for us. There is not one thing more we can
do to make God love us any more or less than God does right now. Yet we are
called to a more excellent life that we can live in Christ!
Ask
yourself is the culture around you better today than it was in years gone by?
Is the world in the state that you think Christ wants it to be in today? If you
are like me you must answer no to both questions. So if the world should or
could be better than it is today we as Christians must answer the call to make
it better.
What I see
in today’s word is a call to intensify our evangelistic efforts. The only truly
effective way to change the world is to change those who are in it. That effort
begins with us. We must as Tomas Kempis wrote uproot vices and plant virtues in
our own lives, so that others will see that our lives have been changed by
Christ. Then we must always be prepared to tell our story of what Christ has
and is doing in our lives.
Second I
see a world that is hurting. We must bring healing to the sick, food to the
hungry, visit the orphan, comfort the widow, and set those who are captive to
the sin and the devil to freedom all in Christ’s name. This is not the old
social gospel, this is the Great Commandment. Loving our neighbors as ourselves
in a sacrificial way is not an optional part of the Christian life. It is
mandatory. To use an unpleasant illustration I think that some folk have come
to accept Christ’s offer of free salvation and then have rested at that point
like an old sow in a mud puddle. No movement, no growth, not a good reflection
on them or our Lord.
Let the
Christian Church arise and bring new life to this old dying world. Let us live
as if today was the day of Christ’s returning. Trusting in our salvation and
acting in the love of Christ for us we shall make a difference in this hurting,
dying world. We are not working for our salvation, but for other’s salvation
and the time may be short.
Prayer
Help us today Lord. Help us pick ourselves up and run the
race that is set before us. Having obtained the salvation provided on the cross
of Christ let us spread that good news to everyone we meet. Give us strength
and encouragement O God. May we finish our race well. Amen.
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