118 Luke 24:25-32 The Faith You Had (is Worthless!)
JMD Devotional 118 Luke 24:25-32 The Faith You Had (is Worthless!)
Easter evening two male disciples walked in utter dejection on the road to Emmaus. Though the Resurrection was earnestly attested to by several trusted and highly committed women disciples, these men were unbelieving and heartbroken. They 'had' faith, but they left it behind. Then a 'cloaked' Jesus joins them...
And [Jesus] said to them, O foolish ones [sluggish in mind, dull of perception] and slow of heart to believe (adhere to and trust in and rely on) everything that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary and essentially fitting that the Christ (the Messiah) should suffer all these things before entering into His glory (His majesty and splendor)? Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself. Then they drew near the village to which they were going, and He acted as if He would go further.
Note that He didn't comfort them or empathetically say, "I feel your pain." He earnestly chastised them for leaving their faith behind! But they received the loving rebuke and wanted more because the sensed the truth of it!
But they urged and insisted, saying to Him, Remain with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. So He went in to stay with them. And it occurred that as He reclined at table with them, He took [a loaf of] bread and praised [God] and gave thanks and asked a blessing, and then broke it and was giving it to them when their eyes were [instantly] opened and they [clearly] recognized Him, and He vanished (departed invisibly). And they said to one another, Were not our hearts greatly moved and burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and as He opened and explained to us [the sense of] the Scriptures?
Jesus did not (visibly) hang around because faith is the hallmark of this age, and the faith object must remain unseen. The faith you leave behind is as worthless as a forgotten life jacket when your boat sinks. God has no grandchildren, so your parent's faith won't save you. God doesn't fill His kingdom with 'used-to-be's or 'want-to-be's; He fills His kingdom with BELIEVERS. Those who trust-in, cling-to and rely-on Jesus Christ for salvation. I floated around for half an hour, my strength totally spent in the currents of a murky river. It would not have been enough to believe in my life jacket without acting on that belief and putting it on. Call that a 'work' if you must; but the Apostle James would cite that as a valid evidence of my faith. In this 'Age of Grace' the only defining thing that separates the sheep from the goats is this kind of faith.
The faith you HAD is worthless! The faith you HAVE is the only faith that counts.
Dear God,
I am so glad I didn't purchase the cheapest life-vest, but I got the body-hugging, five strap adjustable vest, Coast Guard-approved protection that kept me afloat when I needed it! Thank you for giving me the presence of mind to wear it all the time when I'm in the water's domain, because life is unpredictable. Preachers shouldn't sell 'greasy grace', or 'one-stop at the altar' life insurance; may your people not settle for less than the full Gospel. Reveal to us what we were saved from and what we have been saved for, that our lives might match our calling; and that we might please You evermore.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
Easter evening two male disciples walked in utter dejection on the road to Emmaus. Though the Resurrection was earnestly attested to by several trusted and highly committed women disciples, these men were unbelieving and heartbroken. They 'had' faith, but they left it behind. Then a 'cloaked' Jesus joins them...
And [Jesus] said to them, O foolish ones [sluggish in mind, dull of perception] and slow of heart to believe (adhere to and trust in and rely on) everything that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary and essentially fitting that the Christ (the Messiah) should suffer all these things before entering into His glory (His majesty and splendor)? Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself. Then they drew near the village to which they were going, and He acted as if He would go further.
Note that He didn't comfort them or empathetically say, "I feel your pain." He earnestly chastised them for leaving their faith behind! But they received the loving rebuke and wanted more because the sensed the truth of it!
But they urged and insisted, saying to Him, Remain with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. So He went in to stay with them. And it occurred that as He reclined at table with them, He took [a loaf of] bread and praised [God] and gave thanks and asked a blessing, and then broke it and was giving it to them when their eyes were [instantly] opened and they [clearly] recognized Him, and He vanished (departed invisibly). And they said to one another, Were not our hearts greatly moved and burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and as He opened and explained to us [the sense of] the Scriptures?
Jesus did not (visibly) hang around because faith is the hallmark of this age, and the faith object must remain unseen. The faith you leave behind is as worthless as a forgotten life jacket when your boat sinks. God has no grandchildren, so your parent's faith won't save you. God doesn't fill His kingdom with 'used-to-be's or 'want-to-be's; He fills His kingdom with BELIEVERS. Those who trust-in, cling-to and rely-on Jesus Christ for salvation. I floated around for half an hour, my strength totally spent in the currents of a murky river. It would not have been enough to believe in my life jacket without acting on that belief and putting it on. Call that a 'work' if you must; but the Apostle James would cite that as a valid evidence of my faith. In this 'Age of Grace' the only defining thing that separates the sheep from the goats is this kind of faith.
The faith you HAD is worthless! The faith you HAVE is the only faith that counts.
Dear God,
I am so glad I didn't purchase the cheapest life-vest, but I got the body-hugging, five strap adjustable vest, Coast Guard-approved protection that kept me afloat when I needed it! Thank you for giving me the presence of mind to wear it all the time when I'm in the water's domain, because life is unpredictable. Preachers shouldn't sell 'greasy grace', or 'one-stop at the altar' life insurance; may your people not settle for less than the full Gospel. Reveal to us what we were saved from and what we have been saved for, that our lives might match our calling; and that we might please You evermore.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 8:13 PM
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