"But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]." (Hebrews 11:6, AMP)
Not only do I believe God exists but "I believe Him" I believe His Word, His promises, I believe that there is nothing impossible for God. I would dare not to ever limit Him. He can make a way when there seems to be no way. He can turn any situation around and do great and mighty things. And when it seems impossible at every turn God can still make a way. He is a great and awesome God! And when He says He is a rewarder I believe Him.
Faith is what pleases Him and earnestly and diligently seeking Him brings rewards from Him. He is indeed a rewarder! But sometimes we can get so caught up into thinking about all the things we must do to get God's blessings/rewards that we forget that His blessings come from our believing in Him and believing Him. Most everyone believes in Him but what I am saying is Believe Him with all your heart, there is a huge difference between the two. Why not rest a little from all your worries, fretting and constant questioning of yourself and circumstances: "Am I doing something wrong, did I do that right? I must do my morning devotional, I must say this prayer this way. Did I walk the straight path today? Is God pleased with me? Did I obey everything in the scripture's today? This is not faith in God but faith in yourself, so stop... and place your faith in God. This is not walking by faith but by works.
As long as we live in this flesh we will never be perfect within and of ourselves. Yes.. I hear you saying but faith without works is dead. Here's a question to think about, "Are you working as to establish your faith, or are you living by faith which will in turn establish good works? Are you loving and doing well because your heart is full of faith and belief in God and believing God? There is a law of works and there is a law of faith. The law of faith will establish the law of works but the law of works will never establish the law of faith (Rom. 3:27,31).
God's grace is unmerited favor so you can't earn it. He just gives it because of His love for you. Take a good hard look at your heart and do some examining of it and ask yourself, do I believe and obey out of obligation in hopes of God's blessings and rewards or do I believe and obey out of a heart that is full of love and belief in Jesus my Lord and Savior? Do you have a heart to do right because it might get you some brownie points or do you do well because you just Love Jesus and you want Him to shine through you? May we examine ourselves and ask "Am I living by faith which will establish good works or am I living by works in hopes of establishing my faith?"
What it basically comes down to is to know that you are truly loved so very much by your Father God, and that there is nothing you can do to earn His love. Even if you don't believe in Jesus (God's only begotten Son), and you don't believe that He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world, He still loves you and desires to be with you, but it is only by Faith in His Son Christ Jesus that that can be possible. Faith is what pleases Him and that is all.. If you truly have faith in Him (believing in Him and believing Him) then all else will follow.
(Eph. 2:8-9) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.
God Loves you and He desires to be with you now and for all eternity, so rest and surrender in faith in Him and He will take care of the rest for you "For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus unto good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [ living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. ( Eph. 2: 10 AMP)
32 comments:
Tamela,
Likewise: Romans 9:30-32 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone."
It is sad to see those who work so hard at works, never certain they have worked enough and all the time losing sight of faith.
Larry E.
This is something my heavenly Father has been showing me more for the past couple of years. To know beyond a shadow of a doubt how much He loves me. Great post.
Ah... very good scripture Larry for this post.. thanks for sharing it. Those that work so hard at works and never certain they have worked enough and all the while losing sight of faith really need to come to a revelational knowledge of God's grace.. I don't think they can grasp it as to comprehend it. It is something the Lord has had to deal with me about over the years and i am thankful that i am finally beginning to understand it better. It's crazy though because it really isn't an itellectual understanding but more of a spiritual revelation..My spirit is beginning to grasp it not my intellect. Do you know what i mean?
Hello Jody,
Receiving and knowing that we are truly loved can be really tough for us humans sometimes and i really don't know why this is. But it is by faith that we know without doubt that we are loved by God and no questions asked... that is how i try to look at it :)
The problem with works is: 1) we either deceive ourselves into thinking we are now worthy of God's love and favor, or 2) we constantly compare ourselves with others, and thus think we are more deserving than others, or 3) it takes our eyes off Jesus and put our eyes on rules and regulations, putting us under the bondage of law, or 4) we get tired of trying to measure up, and feel God will never love us completely, which leads us to a sense failure and hopelessness. Paul, in 1 Cor 13, shows how even the most godly of works mean nothing, if we do not have Love.
The amazing thing about grace is that we can do NOTHING to earn it. The only thing we can do is RECEIVE it. Yes, we as believers will do good works, but not to please God. We will do good works, because once we receive Jesus, God does good works through us to please Himself. Praise God!
Excellent Post! I was just thinking about this topic this morning in my quiet time. For me it is the struggle of not finding my personal worth in works instead of knowing of my unchanging value because I am His. In a world where we are surrounded by a works mentality - it can easily creep into our thoughts - thus the need to have our minds renewed each day in His Word.
Thanks for sharing.
Rachel
www.stirringthedeep.com
This is true Tamela. May we continue to just trust in HIM completely this time and may we just walk according to his word motivated by our Love and faith in Him and not because of responsibilities and duties.
God bless you!
Hello Shan,
Thanks for visiting Tamela's place and commenting. You summed it up nicely
once we receive Jesus, God does good works through us to please Himself. Praise God!
I will give a resounding praise God as well. It's Jesus in us the hope of Glory! :)
Hello Rachel,
Thanks for visiting and commenting. Yes, getting in the word and being transformed by the renewing of our minds can be day to day sometimes. As the ideas of the world try to attack our thoughts and reasonings we need to remember that He that is within us is greater that he that is in the world and listen and yield to His voice and not the world's..
God bless you Rachel :)
Hello Mike thanks for visiting and commenting. Amen when our faith in God is in operation in our lives it is the power of the Holy Spirit within that takes over, at this point God reveals His grace and pours out His love upon us and all else follows :) He is awesome and most wonderful!
Hi Tamela
Faith is our key, fear(reverential) is the lock and God is the treasure box! A victorious walk depends on our faith, a proper perspective depends on our stance (or fear) of the Lord as indicated in Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
It is taking the stance that God is the author and perfecter of our faith that makes a believer affective for His name. It is also that same faith that assures us that we are loved by the Father and nothing can separate us form His love...
Thank you for such an inspiring message...I truly enjoy your site :)
Many blessings
Rev Deb
Hello Rev Deb,
Thank you for visiting and commenting at Tamela's place what you say is so very true. To worship Him is to know HIm and in knowing HIm places Him on the throne of our lives which in turn dethrones everyone and everything else in our lives.. Thus we can live a faithfilled life.. :)
God bless you Rev. Deb
'Eph. 2:8-9) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.'
A key theological verse, no question. This is how the atoning work of Christ is applied to believers/the elect.
Cheers, Tamela.:)
What a great post, Tamela! I have been thinking a lot about this lately. Thank you letting me hear your thoughts on it!
Btw, thanks for your prayer on my blog! I love what you prayed for! You have such faith and confidence that God is good!
Thank you! Love, Jenny
This is a great post. It reminds me, and my heart is really troubled and burdened for those who deny that grace is enough. They are convinced they need works along with grace for salvation.
I'm reading your comments, and yes- I also think it's more of a spiritual understanding than an intellectual one!
Yes, yes, yes! I know that I could never "earn" the love and grace of my Heavenly Father. But how much more do I want to serve Him when I am close in my walk with Him!
I love what one of my study Bibles says about this subject, referencing Philippians 3:9..."Faith does not 'merit' God's acceptance; it 'accepts' Christ's merit before God" Oh, that speaks right to my heart!
Thank you for another wonderful post, Tamela...you truly are a blessing in my life!
Thanks Russ for your comment.. God bless you :)
Hey Jenny,
Amen girl God is faithful... Thanks for coming by... God bless you :)
Thank you gigi what a great quote soo true that speaks right to my heart also... Wow that sure takes a whole lot of pressure off us and causes us to rest in HIm the one who loves us so very much and whom we love with all our hearts (JESUS)
God bless you and thanks for sharing that :)
Oh sis Tamela, am with Shancere here, she is blessed! I can tell you, she just took the words right out my mouth... in all God wants our humility and faith in Him to please Him. for freely He gives.
Am definitely visiting her blog as soon as as am done here. great post and will love to post Shancere's comment on my blog
Hello IJ,
Thank you for your comment. Yes her blog is really good. I read the one that she wrote about what was revealed to her by the holy spirit through graffiti.. that was a very good writing.. One i won't soon forget
God bless you :)
Hi, Tamela! Just checking in. :) Been very busy lately and not much into blogging, but I'm probably getting back into it a little. :)
Thank you for adding yet another Biblical entry into the "faith vs. works" debate. I totally agree, and I would add that what we do is in direct proportion to the measure of faith and belief that we have in Christ and His Word. If we saw that our neighbor's house was on fire, would we not at least call them to warn them? Then, why do we often keep silent, when we see someone lost in sin, which we KNOW will result in eternal burning for them???
you made a good point Greg! I look forward to reading some more on your blog when things slow down a little... God bless you and your family :)
Amen! Have you seen this acrostic for grace:
G od's
R iches
A t
C hrist's
E xpense.
God's Riches at Christ's Expense. That really sums it up for me.
Good post.
wb
hello warren,
I have never heard that before that is a great acronym. So true.. amen!
Wanted to let you know that my 'fingers' brought me to your blog on my post today!!
Right on! I tried for years to work righteousness, all the while a slave to sin. Gave up the act when I gave up. God took over, anything and everything since then is Him working in and through me. Happy to be a free bond servant. (Some people just don't understand that concept).
Angela,
thanks for visiting
Hello Scott,
I know exactly what ya mean :)
Hi Tamela. This is a great post. Just to share: once when I read about Abraham and Sarah being told that they would have a child, despite their advanced ages and Sarah's barrenness, I felt reminded of this: as you say, God's grace is unmerited, and it can exceed all our hopes and expectations. We've found that before. I should remember it! Blessings.
Hello Andrew,
Yes and amen.. God's grace is awesome and oh how i enjoying living in His grace day by day.. He is soo wonderful and His grace exceeds as you have said even our greatest expectations.
Hi. Thanks for the recent visit and comment. I'm just checking back to see if you have a new post. I'll be back, I like your blog. wb
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