Good morning. It’s Thursday, July 18, 2024 – the 4th day of our 30-day challenge. Anna and I have a wall in our kitchen where we measure the growth of our grandkids. The marks tell them how much taller they are this year than last. God has a measuring tape, too. Do you know how tall you are on His wall? Is your faith growing each year? Read on …
Today's Reading:
Isaiah 32,33,34,35; James 2
Scripture
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? … “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14,17).
Observation
What does God measure?
James reminds us that we are not saved BY our works, but we surely are saved FOR good works! We are not saved just to know more. We were saved to obey more!
1 Peter 1:6-7 reinforces this: “ … that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes - though tested by fire - may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The level of my faith is not seen in what I know, promote, or even advocate. It is measured by how much of what I know that I obey. In other words, it is how much of my faith I do, not how much I know.
Application
With each successive year, is there growing proof of my faith, or is the pencil mark in the same place it was a year ago? We never stop growing, so it should show at least some incremental advancement.
I need to look for the “proof” of my faith. To do so, I must stretch the measuring tape around my marriage, my family, my checkbook, my language, and my secret habits.
I must put it around the health of my relationships, my attitude, and my dependability.
I must gauge my self-discipline, self-control, language, and authenticity in the way I see and define things.
These areas should be “taller” this year than last; this is where I stand on God’s wall.
Prayer
Father, help me to measure the same things You are. I will be assessing how much of my faith I actually obey. There are several areas I will be working on these next 30 days. Please remind me not to measure only my head … but my feet.
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