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All Change (1)
'Under pressure ... your faith ... shows' James 1:3
You can often hear parents of small babies say, 'Oh I don't want him to grow up, I want him to stay just like this, he's soooo cute!' They don't really mean it, they're just expressing how much they're enjoying their baby. If their baby didn't grow and change, they'd be off down the hospital straight away, extremely worried and concerned. They know there's so much more for that child; walking, running, rollercoasters, football, dancing, riding a bike.
Change is an important part of life. The Bible says God 'takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into ... change' (Rom. 2:4 TM). God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. The book in the Bible that really helps us understand this is the book of James (believed to have been written by James, the brother of Jesus).
It is full of good practical advice of how to live following Jesus. Basically James is saying, don't just know it, show it! We must have faith that results in actions. Faith, if it is real, changes people.
Many religions in the world demand you to keep a set of rules but Christianity goes further and insists that faith on the inside is what changes your behaviour on the outside. So make change your new best friend: 'Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way' (1:4).
written by Bob Gass
'Under pressure ... your faith ... shows' James 1:3
You can often hear parents of small babies say, 'Oh I don't want him to grow up, I want him to stay just like this, he's soooo cute!' They don't really mean it, they're just expressing how much they're enjoying their baby. If their baby didn't grow and change, they'd be off down the hospital straight away, extremely worried and concerned. They know there's so much more for that child; walking, running, rollercoasters, football, dancing, riding a bike.
Change is an important part of life. The Bible says God 'takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into ... change' (Rom. 2:4 TM). God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. The book in the Bible that really helps us understand this is the book of James (believed to have been written by James, the brother of Jesus).
It is full of good practical advice of how to live following Jesus. Basically James is saying, don't just know it, show it! We must have faith that results in actions. Faith, if it is real, changes people.
Many religions in the world demand you to keep a set of rules but Christianity goes further and insists that faith on the inside is what changes your behaviour on the outside. So make change your new best friend: 'Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way' (1:4).
written by Bob Gass
