CAN GOD DEPEND ON YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the
Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
(Isaiah 61:1)

MEDITATION:
God made every human being with the option of making choices for
themselves, however we must expect the consequences of our decisions.
We have the power to choose how we will react to any type of situation.
Two people can experience the same circumstances; one becomes a
better person, and the other becomes a worse person.

What is the difference between these two people? One feels that life
has dealt him or her an unfair hand, while the other one learns from
the experience and develops confidence and courage to face additional
challenges that he or she might face.

The same thing can happen whenever people make bad choices. Some
learn from their mistakes and become a better person, but others refuse
to accept responsibility for their bad choices. They blame society; they
blame the environment; they blame the schools; they blame others; they
blame their circumstances, etc.

When we read the Bible, we see that Adam sinned in a perfect world
with perfect circumstances. From his example alone, it is easy to see
that we can’t blame our failures on others. If we expect to improve as
a person, then we must accept the blame for any bad choices we make.

One way to avoid bad choices is to focus on good choices. Every
believer in God has been given the Holy Spirit to assist them with
any task the Lord assigns to them. One assignment from the Lord
is to share the ‘good news’ with the poor in spirit.

There are many who have no relationship with the Lord and believers
have been anointed to tell them about Jesus and the salvation available
to them. Imagine this: the almighty Creator of the world has given us a
responsibility to point others to Jesus. How will we respond?

ACTION:
We should ask ourselves:
    – How am I doing with accepting responsibility for my choices?
    – More importantly, how am I doing in pointing others to the Lord?

We can point others to Jesus with our words, but our actions often speak
louder than words. When our actions show that our faith is real, people
will be less skeptical of the things we tell them about the Lord and our
faith in Him.

When we tell others about our faith, but they can’t see any evidence
that our faith is real, it can cause them to lose interest in developing
a relationship with the Lord. This means we could do more harm
than good when we fail to follow this advice from James.
    What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
    if someone claims to have faith but has
    no deeds? Can such faith save them?
    (James 2:14)

James makes it clear that there is a connection between our faith
and actions. We can’t be saved by doing good deeds, but our good
deeds are confirmation that our faith is genuine. Why? Because
when we receive salvation from the Lord, it changes us inwardly
and outwardly. We become new people with righteous desires.

And when James referred to Abraham,
we can see the importance of our actions.
    Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he
    did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his
    faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was
    made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled
    that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him
    as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that
    a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith
    alone.
    (James 2:21-24)

If we claim to love the Lord but choose to ignore His command
to worship together, then we are making a bad choice – not only
for ourselves, but also for the impact it has on others. We are all
part of the family of God and should enjoy our fellowship with
each other.

There could be circumstances that prevent us from going to God’s
house, but it should not prevent us from staying ‘connected’ with
other believers so we can worship together in one spirit, and pray
for each other.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for trusting me enough to anoint me
as an agent of Yours for pointing others to Jesus. Forgive me for
the bad choices I have made in my life. Help me to understand how
important it is for my actions to support my claims of loving and
worshiping You. With Your help I want to make the right decisions
so I can have a positive impact on those who are lost. I also want to
set an appropriate example for my children so they will worship You
too, and continue to worship You when they become adults.”

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