Practical Christianity

Post date: 06-Feb-2015 14:52:38

“Construction Tool Set” by Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee

We've just started a new series in the book of James. It's about as practical as the Bible gets - every chapter has something to say about the gritty down-to-earth reality of living for Jesus. How about this: "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry"? (1:19) Or this: "believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism"? (2:1) In fact, the whole letter could be summed up in this quote from chapter 2: "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (2:17)And yet at the very start of the letter, James makes it very clear that the foundation of real Christianity is not what we do, but who God is. He warns Christians not to think God is pushing them into doing bad things - he isn't. (1:13) God is good through and through. He uses tough times to give us good things: endurance, maturity, and completeness. (1:2-5) The true God is a generous, giving God, and "every good and perfect gift" we enjoy comes from him. (1:17) So we keep living for him because he keeps giving to us. Even in the hard things, he's giving us good things. What an amazing God he is! He owes us nothing yet gives us everything if we trust in Jesus.

If you consider yourself a Christian, does it affect the way you live day to day? What is the foundation of your life? What you do, or who God is and what Jesus has done for you?