Eat It

"So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead)." – James 2:17

Have you ever doubted someone before? (yes). Has anyone ever doubted you? (yes). Before we go any further, IF you are unsure, let me give you some key phrases. There may be doubt in your life if you have ever asked(said) or been asked(told):

"Umm…."
"Well…"
"Are you sure?"
"Prove it!?"

Prove it. Man. I could talk about THOSE two words all day. For many (and by many I mean ALL) of us, we like to see things "proven" before we commit to believe or accept them. I have a question for you, ready? Say you loved spaghetti (and you had better!! ….just kidding, I don't care what you eat J), could you, WITHOUT SPEAKING, prove you loved spaghetti? How? (I can hear all the "DUH'S!!" coming through the screen now). You would EAT IT wouldn't you? But of course, if you only ate alone, no one else would know. You would have to eat spaghetti in front of other people for them to catch on. At first, they probably wouldn't even care. But I'll bet (not really, gambling is bad), if you ate enough spaghetti, in front of enough people, NO ONE would doubt that you loved spaghetti. You wouldn't have left them any room for doubt. Ready for small story time?

I was eating dinner with a family from my church one evening. Right before dinner the mother asked me "We are having salmon tonight, do you like salmon?" Now, when she asked, it took about ALL of my self control to keep from jumping out of my shoes, because I love salmon! I could feel my face get rather tight from the smile that was growing under my nose, and after a rather loud gasp (yes, I actually gasped), I said in a high pitch voice "YES!" I was so excited! But then, a rather strange thing happened. Unmoved by my reaction she asked "Are you sure?" WHAT!? Am I sure?! Of course I'm sure!! I had never been more sure about anything in my life!! I. LOVE. SALMON!! So what on earth would make her ask me SUCH a silly question? Well a few things. One, there are a lot of people who don't like to eat fish. Two, even for people who do eat fish, salmon has a very unique flavor to it….some people may not like. Three, there are always going to be people who will, in an effort to keep the peace, not tell the whole truth (or sometimes any of it)….especially when it comes to a dinner that someone else is making for them. So it was in fact, a very fair question to pose. I assured her several times it was definitely ok with me. We sat down, a hearty salmon fillet on my plate. We bowed our heads to pray, and when we looked back up, my salmon had vanished! Ok… I didn't eat it THAT fast. But, I did have it finished before she could ask me if I liked it. I looked at my empty plate with a smile and said "are you talking to me?" (true story… I'm working on my manners, pray for me). She smiled and said "wow, ok then!" Doubt. Gone. Erased. No more.

Can the same thing be said about YOUR faith in Jesus? (this is a question I asked myself; don't think I'm excluding myself here). When people hear that you believe in God, and you have a LIVING relationship with Christ, do they say "WOW! You sure do!" ….or do they question….. "Are you sure?" (and no, people probably don't actually talk like that…..but they think it….promise). The bible says that because we have this hope, we are VERY bold – 2 Corinthians 3:12. Are you bold with your faith? Do you leave NO room for doubt? We have been entrusted with the most precious treasure this world will EVER know! But if the world doesn't ever SEE it, how will they know? It is good to speak about your faith. But hearing will only go so far. The world needs to SEE Jesus in us, no more hidden candles. The world NEEDS to see God working in this mess. Imagine what that mother would have thought had I so boldly stated "I love Salmon"…. "I believe in Salmon" ….. "I have a relationship with Salmon" ……and then only ate one or two bites and let the rest sit on my plate to be thrown out. It's almost a certainty that she would instantly discredit my love for salmon, and probably never make it for me again. Yet so often, we do the same thing with our faith. We speak, but our actions don't represent. Sure we nibble here and there, eat around the edges and stuff. But how many of us can really say we are digging into the real meat of our faith? That our giving isn't just a "special occasion", but happens daily because we have faith God will provide all our needs. That loving isn't just for those who love us back. That being forgiven of EVERYTHING means forgiving EVERYTHING. That our yes actually MEANS yes, and our no actually MEANS no, ALL THE TIME.

Here are some things I have done (tried to do) this week:
- Be loving to the people I work with….all of them
- Invite new friends to church
- Take time to have conversations with people I thought could use some encouragement
- Bought dinner for complete strangers
- Became friends with said strangers
- Asked people, believers or not, if I could pray for them…..then actually prayed for them
- Gave a man on the street, two days removed from prison, money for the bus (which he asked for) and money for dinner (which he did not) and prayed for him

Now, I'm not saying these things to commend myself, truly I am not. In fact, I have as much growing in Christ to do as the next person. But I share these things because they ALLLLLLLL stem from the same well! My faith in Jesus Christ! These are not things a "normal" person does. These are things, acts (short for actions…just for the record), driven by my love and faith in a loving faithful God. I did not do any of those things this week TO have faith; I did them BECAUSE I have faith. And don't think you have to go out and do any of these same things. The point I am making is that when our faith is TRULY alive, when the Holy Spirit is TRULY able to move freely in your life, these things just happen. When your living faith lets the living God work through you, God will create for you your own "list of things you DID this week." And for those of you who feel God tugging at your heart throughout the week to move, but you fight it, scared of what might happen if you were to approach a stranger, or attempt to befriend an enemy, or give of your finances, here are your encouraging words: STOP IT! Fear not! God WILL honor those with everything those who honor Him with everything!

I might just be speaking nonsense, but I think it's time we visited that city on a hill (Matthew 5:14). In fact, I think it's time we just relocated there. We need to start being better "doers" of the word. Not with the goal to prove anything, because we will surely fail to do so if that be our goal. But because we love God, with the goal of pleasing Him. And in doing so, we will erase the doubt and replace the faith. It's time to starting eating the meat of what it means to have a WALK with Christ (notice you've never heard the phrase "my sit with Christ"). Let us not nibble around and leave most to waste. It's time we really dig in to our bibles, dig in to our faith, and dig in to our Most High God. Bon Appétit!!

"You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did." – James 2:22