Do you take everything for granted?
I went to the store one morning this week to pick up some eggs and bread. When I was walking through the store I came upon a table that said: “Inspirational BARGAIN Books”. On this table they had an assortment of books. The books were Bibles, commentaries about the Bible, and some self-help books for moms. It made me think about a world where Bibles were not allowed, much less sold at the local grocery store. Then I started thinking about the things I take for granted. On the bread aisle, I had a choice of about 80 different brands of bread. I could even pick from about 20 different brands of eggs.
Did you know that hunger kills more people than AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis combined? (http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats) Do you take the books you read, the food you eat, and the life you have for granted?
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. Matthew 13:14-16(NIV)
Can you see and hear?
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In America, it is so easy to take things for granted. Things like electricty, clean water, a vehicle, food in abundance, and on and on. Did you know that only 7% of the world has their own computer. Wow, we have 3 computers in our home alone.
I recently read a statement that has rolled over and over in my mind. “We may not all be called to go to distant countries but we are all called to see and then to act.”
In America everyone has access to the necessities of life and more. As you spoke about places where Bibles are not allowed it reminded me of the places that I have learned about where there is no access to what we call necessities…..water, electicity, schools, health care. We are called to see and then act. What must I do? What will you do? God’s word reminds that my faith MUST be played out in what I do. James says it quite directly.
James 2:18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. 19 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? 20 Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? 21 Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? 22 Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? 23 The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” 24 Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works? 25 The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn’t her action in hiding God’s spies and helping them escape – that seamless unity of believing and doing – what counted with God?