Dr H Reflections

What is your AQ?

Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. – Hebrews 5:8

2 Peter 1:5-8

 5 Applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

AQ, Adversity Quotient, measures the ability of a person to deal with the adversities of life. Paul Stoltz coined the term in 1997, in his book Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities.

AQ is commonly known as the science of resilience. AQ has to do with how we respond to the ebb and flow of life. AQ encompasses our reaction to all types of stress, from mere everyday hassles to the torments of deep disappointment and sorrow.

AQ has proven to be a strong indicator of an individual’s success in life. It is an accurate predictor of one’s attitude, adaptation to changes in the environment, stress management, persistence, determination, wisdom, and character.

Like IQ, AQ can be modified and developed. AQ enhancement programs often result in improvements of 11-23%. Increased AQ often results in increased productivity, capacity, performance, innovation, and morale (PEAK Learning).

These modern scientific “discoveries” were first revealed in the Scriptures. The Father has been in the business of developing His children’s AQ for over 4500 years

The scriptural terminology varies somewhat. The Scriptures speak of proven character, self-control, moral excellence, diligence, integrity, perseverance, endurance, maturity, hope, reverence, and godliness.

REFLECT & PRAY

Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! – 2 Corinthians 4:17

Father, I am limited in my comprehension of your ways. Enable me to begin to grasp the immensity and perfection of Your eternal perspective and purpose.

INSIGHT

The Father employs intriguing methods to develop AQ. He introduces trials, difficulties, and tests into our lives. He starts small. As we develop and mature and demonstrate character and integrity, the challenges often become more difficult. AQ develops in a fashion similar to muscle. AQ is strengthened through exercise and exertion.

Romans 5:3-4

 3 When we run into problems and trials, we know that they help us develop endurance.

 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope.

James 1:2-4

 2 When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Hardship and adversity have a way of wearing us down. That is all part of the process. The difficulties of life may seem overwhelming and ceaseless. We often feel abandoned.

Paul was a man with tremendous AQ. He was determined to remain faithful and overcome every obstacle. Paul was successful. His responses to hardship revealed his character and the depth of his relationship with the Father. He had learned the art and science of surrender rather than resistance to the Father’s will for his life.

Rather than seeking to escape, he learned to depend upon the Father’s power to go through the great challenges that he faced. He developed a unique trait that should be common for all of the Father’s children, going forward on his knees.

Dr. Hudson Taylor, of the China Inland Mission, wrote to Jonathan Goforth, that to be successful in China. “you must go forward on your knees.”

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen” (Elisabeth Kübler-Ross).

Psalms 121:1-3

 1 I look up to the mountains – does my help come from there?

 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalms 27:13-14

 13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.

Our certain confidence in knowing and experiencing the Father’s goodness while we live encourages us to be brave, courageous, and wait expectantly.

The Father we serve is worthy of our loyalty and confidence. Adversity is one of the strategies He employs to mature our faith, conform us to the likeness of His Son, and fulfill His unique plan for each of our lives. Temporary afflictions yield “an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). When we give Him the freedom to work, His light will illumine us and shine through us in each trial.

When God wants to drill a man and thrill a man and skill a man, when God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part; when He yearns with all His heart to create so great and bold a man that all the world shall be amazed, watch His methods, watch His ways! How He ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him, and with mighty blows converts him, into trial shapes of clay which only God understands; while his tortured heart is crying, and he lifts beseeching hands! How he bends but never breaks.

When his good He undertakes; how He uses whom He chooses, and which every purpose fuses him; By every act induces him to try His splendor out – God knows what He’s about (anonymous).

Many of you receive a copy of the Reflection in your email.

Often after it is published, I review it one more time and tweak it.

To read the most up-to-date version, please click on the title.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 12-20-9

Trustworthy servant-leader ∙

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service. – 1 Timothy 1:12

1 Timothy 1:12-16

 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,

 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.

 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

 15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” – and I am the worst of them all.

 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

American baseball has a way of teaching kids a lot of things. There are lots of spoken and unspoken rules. For example, how do kids choose sides when putting together pickup baseball teams?

Most of the kids in a local neighborhood know who the best players are. Normally the best two are appointed to be the team captains. As captains, they do the choosing.

Who chooses first? There is an unspoken rule that everyone knows involving a bat. A bat is gently tossed toward vertically to one of the captains with the heavy side down. The captain catches the bat with one hand. The location where his fist grasps the bat designates the starting place for what happens next. The other captain puts his fist directly above the first captain’s fist. The two captains continue alternately gripping the bat moving upward. As they approach the top, there is not enough room for the one who makes the last attempt to completely grab the bat.

The captain with a full grip of the bat is declared the winner and gets to go first. The two captains would then alternate choosing until enough players are picked for the teams.

Of course, the third-best player would be chosen first. Then the fourth is selected, etc. Following this method, the opposing sides would be more or less balanced in skill and liability. Poor players are considered a liability. Most likely they are not that skilled in hitting, fielding, or throwing. But they would make the team also.

Another unspoken rule is taken for granted. The players never choose to be part of the team. Only the captains have that prerogative.

The apostle Paul was well aware of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ alone chose him for service. Think about it. Never for a moment did Paul think that he chose Christ. He marveled that Christ chose him. Paul never considered himself worthy of being welcomed, forgiven, or chosen. In fact, he saw himself as a violent, hateful, proud, insolent, arrogant opponent of the truth. Paul was, after all, a blasphemer of the Father he thought he worshiped.

“It was as if, when he was heading straight for destruction, Jesus Christ had laid his hand upon his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. It was as if, when he was busy throwing away his life, Jesus Christ had suddenly brought him to his senses” (Barclay).

How could a holy and righteous God welcome and forgive a sinner such as himself? The whole concept left him incredulously scratching his head. Initially, Paul could hardly take it all in. Pondering his relationship with the Father, the Lord God Almighty, Paul is rendered awestruck and aghast.

How could it possibly be? Rather than becoming the target of the Father’s disdain and wrath, something entirely unexpected, even shocking occurred. “[Paul] never got beyond a response of wonder and gratitude to God’s act of saving him ‘warts and all.’ We must never move beyond the excitement and joy our conversion generates in us. (Lea and Griffin)”

The Father’s amazing grace and mercy overflowed, covered, and canceled out the egregious blemishes of Paul’s sinful past. This proud, tenacious, persistent, resilient, energetic, powerful man was assuredly humbled, and deeply ashamed.

In time, Paul eventually worked through it. He was left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. His praise overflowed with thankfulness and respect. Paul thanked the Father for forgiving him, trusting him, choosing him, selecting him to service, and enabling him to carry out his appointed tasks.

What would be a natural, normal response to the realization of being so loved? What do reconciliation, restoration, and redemption yield in the human heart?

REFLECT & PRAY

Because of love, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from their sins, even the worst of them.

Father, I have only begun to grasp the magnitude of my sin. Open my eyes to see and fully grasp the certain eternal separation from You that loomed over me. Enable me to comprehend the incomprehensible. Your magnificent lovingkindness has made my scarlet sins whiter than snow.

INSIGHT

Paul now saw himself as God’s man. He was all in and totally devoted to the Father. The Father’s amazing grace, kindness, and mercy had melted Paul’s heart. Paul understood as few do, that undeserving as he was, the Father had still chosen him.

Paul summed it up in a few words that echo throughout all eternity, “it is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ – and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

Paul was brilliant, highly educated, and religiously devout. What was his problem? He was ignorant of the actual identity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The simple mention of the word ‘sinners’ causes Paul once again to reflect upon his own life. The term “worst” is literally “first” (protos). The term refers not to the sequence of Paul’s sin or conversion but to its magnitude. This may well seem to be an exaggeration to the reader, but for Paul, it is no exaggeration (1 Corinthians 15:9, 10; Galatians 1:13; Ephesians 3:8)” (Moss).

He wasn’t using ignorance as an excuse. Rather, he realized that he had lived in darkness and had now seen the light. He comes to grips with how dark the darkness truly was. What was Paul’s great sin? “His sin of aggressively tearing down the work that God was building up was the worst kind of sin” (Constable).

Paul’s past life and despicable behavior, rather than being an impediment to service, became the springboard that propelled his devotion.

Because Paul was the chief of sinners, his salvation and redemption were totally undeserved, unmerited, and unexpected, there is hope for the rest of us.

The light still shines bright.

The Lord Jesus Christ is true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:4-5, 9).

Paul the child of darkness became a child of the light.

Many of you receive a copy of the Reflection in your email.

Often after it is published, I review it one more time and tweak it.

To read the most up-to-date version, please click on the title.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 12-24-9

Climb the highest mountain

A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. – Luke 12:21

Hebrews 11:24-26

 24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.

 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.

I’d Climb the Highest Mountain was a film released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1951. This story is taken from a 1910 novel, A Circuit Rider’s Wife, by Corra May Harris. It is the story of a Methodist minister who was called to a north-Georgia mountain community to serve as a circuit rider in 1910. Along with this new bride they arrive in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. William Lundigan is from the deep South while his wife Susan Hayward is from the big city.

Lundigan shepherds his flock and tends to their emotional and spiritual needs. The area is extremely isolated and impoverished. The everyday problems of the local people are a challenge for the couple’s faith and new marriage. Lundigan’s faith meets the challenges and his inner strength is more than sufficient to guide his flock through the struggles they face. He fearlessly leads them through a major epidemic. Through it all, he is able to teach and share the message of the Father’s love. Indeed, Lundigan climbed the highest mountain.

All children of the King have challenges. One of the most important is setting priorities and making the necessary adjustments to follow through.

There are general guidelines found throughout Scripture that pertain to all of the children of the King.

For most of all, it is incumbent upon each child of the King to put the Father first.

Exodus 20:2-5

 2 I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

 3 You must not have any other god but me.

 4 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

Then there are individual responsibilities that are part of his purpose and plan for each of us. These challenges often create tension. The tension is relieved by a simple but very difficult decision. We make a decision once and for all to put the Father’s will and calling first. Once that major decision is made, the rest of life is simply a matter of carrying it out. You always know what you are going to do. There is no reason for tension.

That was the course of Moses followed. He refused the sumptuous, sinful pleasures of Egypt. Rather he identified with the people of God, the nation of Israel. He pursued a reward that is bestowed by the Father Himself. In the same way that Christ suffered for His people so did Moses. He chose to endure ill-treatment with the children of Israel rather than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin with the Egyptians.

Hebrews 11:24-26

 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,

 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.

REFLECT & PRAY

Jim Elliot “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Father encourage and strengthen me to climb the highest mountain which you have assigned to me. I want to be “All in.”

INSIGHT

In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell’s convictions and priorities took center stage. Liddell refuses to allow his participation in the Olympics to compromise His commitment to the Father. He flatly refused to run on Sunday which he considered the Lord’s Sabbath. He was accused of putting God before King. Headline news read: Olympic athlete Eric Liddell puts religion before country.

He was strongly pressured by various officials, representatives of the British government, and the media. He was treated with scorn by the entire watching world and condemned by Britain as a traitor who “upheld a rigid regional piety on a global stage that required transcendent statesmanship.”

This all went away rather remarkably when he felt the Father’s pleasure and won his event and the gold medal. He even set a new world record. He was miraculously morphed from traitor to a celebrated international hero. But that’s not the end of the story. He went on to serve as a missionary in China. His greatest triumph of all.

Liddell said, “. . . since I have been a young lad, I have had my eyes on a different prize. You see, each of us is in a greater race than any I have run in Paris, and this race ends when God gives out the medals” (christianity.org.uk).

Liddell learned from the apostle Paul that athletics, spirituality, and calling were perfect allies (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Was he rewarded for his efforts before the end of his life on planet Earth? Absolutely not the Father had a far different plan in mind.

The Japanese invaded China and Liddell was imprisoned in a Japanese Internment Camp in the spring of 1943. Liddell became a leader and the source of overflowing love, light, and love at the camp. Liddell spent his time teaching Bible classes, helping the elderly, arranging recreational activities, and teaching science to the children.

Was he miraculously freed by angels? Were the guards blinded, locks opened, and did he simply walk out of the camp? Was he carried off by a chariot of fire? No, not at all.

He had an inoperable brain tumor and died on February 21, 1945, five months before liberation. According to a fellow missionary, Liddell’s last words were, “It’s complete surrender.” He was referring to giving his life to the Father. Liddell was “All in” until the very end. Eric Liddell did indeed climb the highest mountain. It led him into the very presence of his heavenly Father.

Luke 12:21 A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.

The Lord Jesus Christ cautioned all children of the King against wrong attitudes regarding earthly wealth. The richness of life is not found in the richness of wealth, but rather in a rich relationship with the Father. Rather than wealth and comfort, the Lord Jesus Christ promised hardship, opposition, and persecution. But intimacy with the Father is far more valuable than any material possessions.

“There is a story of a conversation between an ambitious youth and an older man who knew life. Said the young man, ‘I will learn my trade.’ ‘And then?’ said the older man. ‘I will set up in business.’ ‘And then?’ ‘I will make my fortune.’ ‘And then?’ ‘I suppose that I shall grow old and retire and live on my money.’ ‘And then?’ ‘Well, I suppose that someday I will die.’ ‘And then?’ came the last stabbing question” (Barclay).

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Inexorably pursue the good

Always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. – 1 Thessalonians 5:15

1 Thess 5:11-15

 11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
 12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,
 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

 14 And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men.

 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.

Catherine McAuley was born near Dublin, Ireland on September 29, 1778. Her father was a successful businessman and a devout Catholic. He devoted himself to serving the poor throughout Dublin. Many of Catherine’s earliest memories were of watching her dad provide personal care for the poor. Her father’s compassion and mercy made a deep impression on her. She in turn became empathic. She soon shared her father’s passion to care for those who were less fortunate. What a magnificent inheritance!

When both her parents died, Catherine went to live with relatives. They were strong Protestants and life became a difficult struggle for Catherine. It was a time of trial. But she had a good heart and responded appropriately with grace and kindness. As she depended upon her faith in God, she navigated her way through these difficult times. Her spirituality was centered on God’s Mercy grew stronger and still. She found “peace in the Cross, joy in suffering, prayer in action and action in prayer” (Bolster).

At the age of 25, a retired Quaker couple invited her to live with them. Catherine became their loving companion and caretaker. Her life was an example of holiness and love. Upon the couple’s death, they bequeathed their estate to her. A second great inheritance. She used the funds to build a House of Mercy, the first of many. She and other laywomen would shelter homeless women, reach out to the sick and dying, and educate poor girls.

Many of Catherine’s wonderful sayings have been passed down to us. Here is one of her most well-known. “The simplest and most practical lesson I know is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Not paying back evil for evil seems very unrealistic. Our natural reaction is to strike back and try to get even. We want to return tit for tat. It seems to be not only impractical but just wrong to our natural way of thinking. On top of that, there is the fear that the miscreant would not get what they deserve. They will not get what they have coming to

When we are hurt or offended by the actions or words of someone else our natural reaction is to strike back and try to get even. We want to return tit for tat. Not paying back evil for evil seems very unrealistic and totally the reverse of our natural way of thinking. On top of that, there is the fear in the back of our minds that the miscreant may not get what they have coming to them and so richly deserve.  

But stop and think for a moment. Did the Father give us what we deserved? Of course not! The Father in His mercy and grace chose not to give us what we had coming. The Father decided not to retaliate and pay us back according to our evil deeds. He did not give us evil for evil. Therefore He expects all children of the King to follow His example and act in the same way. Retaliation is completely off the table. Retaliation is simply not an option for children of the King.

Romans 12:17 Never pay back evil with more evil.

Who decides what people have coming to them as a result of their evil schemes and actions? When an appropriate punishment is identified, who is to say whether it is carried out or mercifully cut short or canceled? The Father is the lawgiver and the final and highest authority in the universe. Judgment and sentencing are His prerogatives alone.

The Greek word translated pay back or repayis apodidomi. Apodidomi means to recompense, render, reward, or punish someone based upon what we think they deserve.

Paul strongly admonishes the children of the King that they should do wrong to someone else because that individual has done wrong to them. This is the golden rule in reverse.

Rather than simply react, we are to be patient, kind, and forgiving. Our natural propensity to get even for wrongs received must be reprogrammed.

REFLECT & PRAY

If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all (Mark 9:35). 

Father lead me and empower me to live as the Lord Jesus Christ lived. Encourage me to do good and not get even.

INSIGHT

Paul now does a 180° turn. Instead of focusing on the negative, Paul focuses on the positive. His goal is to make kindness and forgiveness the go-to instinctive behavior and desire of every child of the King. Retaliation and revenge should no longer be in our vocabulary.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 Always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Paul admonishes the children of the King to “always seek after that which is good.” The Greek word translated as try or seek is dioko. Dioko is a strong verb meaning pursue, chase, or run. It has the sense of to strive for something, go after it with the intent of catching it. It implies an ardent, inexorable effort to do good instead of evil. It is as though we are in a foot race running away from the inclination to do evil and instead of running full speed toward doing good.

This is a continuous, iterative, and ongoing “always on” pursuit of the good for one another and everyone else. Our primary responsibility is to do good to other children of the King, the community of faith. And then to everyone else.

To respond with kindness and love is unnatural. It requires commitment and determination. How is it possible? Paul spells it out.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

The Father must do a powerful work within us. He needs to make us holy to the depths of our being in every way, our spirits, our souls, and our bodies. He is to empower us to rise above the norm and operate on another plane.

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Asked to do hard – crazy things

“Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” – Genesis 22:12

Genesis 22:1-13

 1 God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

 2 “Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.

 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.

 11 At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way . . ..”

 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

September 12, 1962

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space.

But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. After all, that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

In our topsy-turvy world, sometimes, the Father asks to do things that are seemingly illogical if not even crazy. Why does the Father do this? The answer is twofold.

First, the Father thinks differently than we do.

Isaiah 55:8-9

 8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

His logic centers in faith in His unseen and eternal purpose. We only get glimpses now and then.

Second, the Father tests our faith to demonstrate that it is real. That demonstration of our faith comes through actions performed in real-time.

How does the Father know that our faith is real? How do we know that our faith is real? It is one thing to say that we have faith, it is quite another to show or demonstrate that our faith is real by our actions and deeds.

One book of the Bible wrestles the issue of how faith and works intertwine: James

James 2:14-20

 14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?

 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

What does useless mean? The Greek word for useless is argos. It literally means not working, of no benefit, unprofitable. There is a subtle play on words in the Greek that is not apparent in English. The Greek word for works or deed is ergan. The word for “useless” is argos. Perhaps with a twinkle in his eye, James is saying faith without ergan is argos. In Greek, the word order is faith without action useless is.

How do action and faith work together? One demonstrates the reality of the other. Works demonstrate by action that the faith is real.

James 2:21-23

 21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

REFLECT & PRAY

Sometimes I think without believing. Other times I believe without thinking.

Father, I want my faith to be real and actualized by a change of life within and without. I didn’t get to be a person who walks by sight overnight. I will not get to be a person who walks by faith overnight either.

INSIGHT

“James does not quarrel with faith. He understands that faith alone can save someone. What he opposes is a phony faith, the kind that supposedly exists without giving any practical confirmation of its existence” (Stanley).

James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Genesis 22 and James 2 meld together in a unified sequence of events.

Abraham hears the truth and believes what he hears. Abraham puts the truth that he believes into action. He is prepared to carry out what the Father requested. The Father never intended for Abraham to carry out the request. It was a test of Abraham’s faith. His unwavering action demonstrated that his faith was real and not mere lip service belief.

Abraham did not know the Father’s. Genesis 22 was not yet written. But he was willing and ready to do what the Father asked. For Abraham, it was hard, illogical,  even barbaric, if not crazy.

All the Father wanted to see was Abraham’s willingness. Performing the actual deed was not necessary. The Father intervened through an angel and stopped the sacrifice of Isaac. The Father provided a lamb instead.

Genesis 22:12-14

 12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

 13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”).

In modern colloquial English, we say “actions speak louder than words”.

Each child of the King will have their own “Isaac moment.” In fact, we may visit Mount Moriah more than once. RememberYahweh-Yireh, “the LORD will provide.”

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