Searching for Faith from the Heart!

It was in the Book of James that we hear "Faith without Works is Dead". I would also strive to say that Works without faith means one is not fully Alive. We need both to expresses fully what we believe. Faith is our putting our beliefs into actions. Yet if we do not act on these beliefs our works are not a living role model of faith! If we care for others without expressing why then we are not speaking our beloiefs other than how we enjoy helping others. Why do you enjoy helping other - Because we are celebrating God's love for you and me!

If one believes in the importance of the Golden Rule we need to live it in the world. We should put our beiefs into action. We not only need to act on our beliefs, but give credit for them. We are "Loving our Neighbor as our Selves" not because it is our unique idea. We need to claim our faith in our actions. We need to let all know we are showing love of our neighbor because of Christ's sacrificial love show on the cross. We are acting in love because we have learned how to love from our Lord and Savior. He became one with us and was with out sin so in his sacrifice he took all our sins on his shoulders. Just as he took all our sins on his shoulders, we need to step out and care for our neighbors. In caring we need to give credit where credit is due. We believe in the Love of Christ so we are expressing our faith in Christ by how we live.

Yet without an expression of one's faith our actions become a random act of kindness of a nice person. Acting in the name of Christ allows our Faith to be fully ALIVE! We are nice because Christ showed how we all are Beloved Children of God. As Children of God, we need to care for each other. We need to do our best to help each other in the name of Christ. It is also said that our right hand should not know what are left is doing. We should not claim our acts of love as acts of an ego. Rather, they are expressions of Love we received from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Our goal as Christian Disciples is to live Love and then earn the right to be heard. In earning the right to be heard we can share our beliefs which have encouraged our actions in the world. We do not have to be a great orator or theologian, just share love and step back and let the Holy Spirit do the Rest. Our expressions of faith come from the beliefs within our soul. These beliefs become expressions of faith when we act on them. Christian's need to live what they learned from Christ. EVen with the greatest of works, we are not fully alive unless they are linked to our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Unfortunately, too many live love, but then judge others. They speak love, but fail to act on it. They are not fully Alive in Christ if their works are not expression of God's love! Salvation is a gift of God, an expression of divine love. We can not earn salvation through good works, but we can sure show God's great Love through loving our neighbor in Christ's name.

What do you think? How can we express this Love for others free of Judgement?