Faith By My Works

Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Faith By My Works
Date: Tuesday January 17, 2012
Today's Chapters: Exodus 5-7
Preview of Today's Message: While only faith in the Gospel of Christ saves us, without works of love toward God to accompany our faith we will never learn to appreciate our salvation and what God truly has saved us from. All Scripture quoted from the King James Version.

Hello My Friend,

I imagine we all would like a comfortable life, to be prosperous and successful in what we do, now, what we think is a comfortable life is dependent upon how we grew up, people born into poverty think a comfortable life is a lot different than people born into riches. We all need faith that we can be successful in reaching our goals, but without making an effort to reach those goals we will never get very far. Likewise, we can work very hard at reaching our goals, but without faith we will not get very far. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?..Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?..And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” - James 2:14,17-24.

When Moses and Aaron met with the Hebrew elders and showed them that God was with them and they would be set free from the Egyptians they were ecstatic, they were ready to do whatever it took to be free. Little did they, including Moses, realize that they were going to have to endure some affliction in order to be set free. Just like God told him, Moses went before Pharaoh and asked that he let Israel go.

“And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword...And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves...And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?..And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.” - Exodus 5:2,3,6,7,14,20,21.

Pharaoh did not release them, in fact, he put more affliction upon them. Pharaoh thought himself to be a god so, when Moses and Aaron asked them to let them go to worship God he afflicted them even more, siting that if they have time to worship God they need more work to do. On top of that the Hebrews went to Moses complaining about the affliction they caused upon them. These guys were complaining because they had to work harder. They did not have faith that God could really set them free, all they could think of was the affliction they were facing, and blaming it on Moses. We all get discouraged when we work hard at something to see it fail, but we keep trying and with faith something good will come out of it. “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” -1 Peter 3:17,18.

The Hebrews complained so much that even Moses went to God and asked Him why He even told them to go up to Pharaoh. “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.” -Exodus 6:2-7,9.

God reminded Moses I am JEHOVAH, the Almighty, I will bring you out of captivity, but the people did not listen. Their faith was dead because they could not see past the affliction they were facing, it is us who cannot see pass the afflictions and walk away from God. God allows affliction in our lives not to punish us or hurt us, but to grow us, to prepare us, and to show us that He is JEHOVAH. Believe it or not, we are not the most appreciative people when we are just handed things to us. 90% of the world, maybe even more than that, have a me, myself, and I mentality. They want what is best for them, not thinking of the consequences it might bring to others, forgetting or ignoring that God gave it to them all along. Of course, we all want things and God wants to give them to us, but He wants us to put our faith and trust in Him, first. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33.

Now, after the pep talk Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh and tried once again. This time God brings Moses down to the level of Pharaoh, he thinks he is a god, well, God will prove Himself JEHOVAH. “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” - Exodus 7:1-5.

Whenever God is ready to do something through us to show His existence to others there is often affliction before there are rewards, yet they are all blessings from God. We cannot truly be satisfied with the reward if we have not worked at receiving it. Think about it, if things are just given to you are you as excited about receiving them as you are when you receive them after working so hard to get them? If God just hands everything over to us do you think we would realize it came from God. Until we get to the point where we know, “THIS CAME FROM GOD” than we will endure some affliction. “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” - I Peter 4:15,17.

Today's Psalm: “For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.” -Psalm 92:4.
Today's Proverb: “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” - Proverbs 20:11.
Today's Prayer: God, let us continually remember the work that we do that produces our faith in Christ, our work is prompted by our love for You. The afflictions we endure become inspirations by the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. How grateful are we for the love and fellowship we enjoy with our brothers and sisters who serve You all over the world. We lift up those who are presently enduring matters that weigh heavy on their hearts. May the hope they have in the Lord Jesus Christ inspire confidence that You will give them victory as they continue to work to produce more faith in You, In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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