Monday, May 10, 2010
Have you ever received a small appliance that you never put to use? Over the years I have had many domestic devices that I thought looked handy and that I would use frequently. However, I used them a time or two and then stored them in the farthest corner of the pantry never to be seen again. Oh, I’d run across them occasionally and put them in a yard sale or give them away. I readily recall finding new homes for a wok, crepe maker, fancy roaster, and cappuccino machine. They each had a purpose, but I failed to put them to use on a regular basis.
Sometimes our faith is like those gadgets. Some people have faith but rarely use it for its intended purpose. Some call on faith when it’s convenient. Sometimes we shelve our faith instead of exercising it every day. Faith is not just a set of ideas that we think about. An active faith requires action. Faith is living out our God-given beliefs in relation to God and others. Faith is not just something we put on for Sunday mornings in worship services. It is something to be used every day as we study God’s word, worship God, and serve others.
I recently read a story about missionaries in Africa that illustrates this point. Some missionaries were looking forward to working with a primitive tribe in a remote part of Africa. Unsure of how they would be received, the missionaries decided to send a goodwill gift to the tribe. They arranged for a shiny new plow to be dropped by parachute into the village. When the missionaries arrived a few days later, they encountered something unexpected. The natives, who had never seen a plow and had no concept of how to use one, put the mysterious equipment to an unusual use. They put it on a pedestal and worshipped it!
Instead of using the plow as a tool, the natives used it as a reverent ornament. Like the plow, our faith is an active tool. Our faith can revolutionize our lives and the lives of others. We have to put it to use!
Faith is an active tool. Use it in service for Him!
Sometimes our faith is like those gadgets. Some people have faith but rarely use it for its intended purpose. Some call on faith when it’s convenient. Sometimes we shelve our faith instead of exercising it every day. Faith is not just a set of ideas that we think about. An active faith requires action. Faith is living out our God-given beliefs in relation to God and others. Faith is not just something we put on for Sunday mornings in worship services. It is something to be used every day as we study God’s word, worship God, and serve others.
I recently read a story about missionaries in Africa that illustrates this point. Some missionaries were looking forward to working with a primitive tribe in a remote part of Africa. Unsure of how they would be received, the missionaries decided to send a goodwill gift to the tribe. They arranged for a shiny new plow to be dropped by parachute into the village. When the missionaries arrived a few days later, they encountered something unexpected. The natives, who had never seen a plow and had no concept of how to use one, put the mysterious equipment to an unusual use. They put it on a pedestal and worshipped it!
Instead of using the plow as a tool, the natives used it as a reverent ornament. Like the plow, our faith is an active tool. Our faith can revolutionize our lives and the lives of others. We have to put it to use!
Faith is an active tool. Use it in service for Him!
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” Philippians 1:27
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