Do you want to be a friend of God? James 2.19-24

James' mood makes a decided shift--he seems frustrated with being unable to make his point to these new Jewish believers, with regard to the discussion about faith and works—he wanted them to GET IT . . . their conduct simply had to line up with the faith they claimed to have!

In James 2, verse 19 we see James' mood make a decided shift--he seems frustrated with being unable to make his point to these new Jewish believers--their conduct simply had to line up with the faith they claimed to have!  "Do you still think its' enough just to believe that there is one God?  Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!  Fool!  When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless?"  And then James moves on to give them the most well-known example from their Jewish faith, showing how his conduct lined up with the faith he professed in God.

‘Consider Abraham, father of Judaism,’ James says in the verses that follow.  “Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was declared right with God because of what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was complete by what he did--by his actions. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous."  He was even called "the friend of God."  So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. (NLT)

If you are unsure of Abraham's story, you can refresh your memory in Genesis 22-- Simply, God kept his promise to make of Abraham a great nation, and then when finally he had Isaac at 100 years of age, God asked him to sacrifice him. 'What?!  My wife, Sarah, went through labor and delivery at 99, and then you want me to sacrifice this promised child on the altar?!  God--you're kidding me, right?'  Wrong. But then, God provides an alternate sacrifice, at the last minute. (Genesis 22--you've got to know this one)

But Abraham trusted God so completely, he was willing to obey.  Am I? Are you?

Abraham was referred to as "the friend of God" because of his incredible faith; just imagine--Jane, friend of God; Tracy, friend of God; Bobby, friend of God--how would you like to be introduced as such?  Oh, my goodness--could it get any better?  I think not!

Why was Abraham called the friend of God?  Because he OBEYED him.  [Note to self: some of the most valuable Christian concepts such as grace, mercy, obedience, prudence seem to be almost obsolete in our current culture and vocabulary ... why?]  Jesus told his disciples in John 15.14, You are my friends if you obey me.  John chapter 15 is so very rich with the words of Jesus—like where Jesus says, ‘I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!’  If you are lacking joy in your life, these words of Jesus provide your recipe for joy: obedience to Him.

To the convinced, we obey what we know to do--for instance, here are a few starters:

>love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength (Mark 12.30)

>love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12.31)

>pursue holiness (1 Timothy 6.11)

>be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other (Ephesians 4.32)

>let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, only what is helpful (Ephesians 4.29)

George MacDonald was a Scottish poet, preacher, novelist who boiled all of life's truth into a simple two-step process: realizing who God is, then obeying Him. "True faith, true belief, is not possible where there is not a daily doing of the things He says. They are what make faith take root and spring to life... obedience is not perfection, but making an effort.  What a man believes is the thing he does, not the thing he thinks."

Lord, won't you give us the faith and will to obey you today? We want your joy. We want to be called your friends. Amen.

Simply,

Christine