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I remember a time, back in 1993, when I was swept up in the whimsical world of wedding planning. Every detail mattered. I was excited to be marrying Brad Smith and I wanted our wedding day to be a magical springboard to a life filled with amazing adventures and deep years of God-centered love. From the cake choices – to the dress choices – to the music choices – to the guest list choices – to the bridal registry choices: I was all about the business of wedding prep!
The bride of Christ is purposed to be all about the Father’s business – to prep for eternity by making choices to bring Him glory throughout our days; to intentionally worship the Lord through our service. As God’s children, we are called to connect our believing to our behaving; our convictions to our conversations; our lip-service to our life-service.
The Biblical mandate for each believer is this: put your faith where your action is. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).
Hear me out here. Service is not the key to gaining salvation. Salvation comes by faith in Christ alone (Romans 10:9-10). Service is, however, essential for the believer as a response to salvation. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
No matter who you are or what your platform is in life, the truth remains that whatever you do and say is being watched. Everyone emanates something. A radiant Christian woman – a radiant bride of Christ – should emanate the saltiness and light of Jesus through her life; displayed through the things she does and doesn’t do. Through things she says or doesn’t say.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16, NIV).
Today, I pray that you are spurred on to be a woman of action for Christ – no matter what the circumstances of your life or the complexities of your relationships may be. From your word choices – to your tone choices – to your television choices – to your music choices – to your service choices – to your activity choices … be all about your Father’s business. Go in His strength, and put your faith where your action is.
Holy Father, I pray that You will help my actions to line up with Your perfect will. Help me to be Your hands and feet to those around me. Shine through my actions so others might be drawn to Your healing hope. In Jesus’ name, amen.
FOR YOUR REFLECTION and RESPONSE:
What does your life radiate? What are your actions saying about your faith? Are you salty for Christ in what you do and say? Spend a few moments reflecting on this and then spend some time in prayer.
How can you serve someone today? Perhaps God is leading you to bless someone in your household … or someone in your church … or someone in your neighborhood.
Could you reach out to a single mom, a family member, a widow, or a hurting friend? Ask God to direct you to opportunities to put your faith into action in the lives of others.
Got some ideas? Have a prayer need? Leave a comment below! Encourage one another!
Comments 5
Thank you for reminding me to celebrate those who do not have children of their own, but “mother many!” These special moms are so greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks so much for the challenge. I’ve been nervous about sharing my writing with other people, and this was the ‘kick in the pants’ I needed. I realized that, when I hide what God has given me, I’m hiding my light under a basket.
I’m a missionary nursing home chaplain, and I have a bunch of great ideas for putting feet to your faith and serving these sometimes-forgotten members of our community. I have tea with one sweet lady every Sunday; one lady dictates stories and I write them down for her. A friend makes beautiful handmade cards that I write out so each of them has a card on their birthday. The kids and I found out that one special resident (who can’t speak) likes plants and flowers, so we arranged to take him on an outing to the rhododendron garden when everything was in full bloom, but there are some who are just hugely blessed to have someone to talk to who doesn’t have to rush off to see to someone else’s urgent needs. Several sweet ladies made up pretty pots of posies for some of the ladies for Easter. Finally, I take my pets (the dogs, the rabbit, the dove, and the hedgehog) in for pet visits, and the residents just love them!
These are the people who built our churches: they prayed, gave, and served sacrificially so that buildings and classrooms could be built, children brought up in the way they should go, and the word preached regularly. Yet only 10% of US churches have a budgeted ministry to nursing home residents, and many feel forgotten. Call your local nursing home (lower-budget ones especially need help) and ask for the Activities Director; he or she can tell you how to share His love and act out your faith serving the least of these your brothers and sisters. And be prepared to watch God do astonishing things!
The gift of faith becomes more meaningful as I mature. There was a time when I occasionally felt discouraged that I was not doing enough. Over the years, I have grown grateful for the intuitive guidance I receive on matters of service to others. I have learned that there are unique ways to love and serve, and our preferences are likely to be determined by our personality type. I find myself prompted to pray for some people who cross my path during any given day. And, I respond to that prompt with an awareness that this or that person is in some need. I feel amazed at this, for I love how natural and peaceful this feels. I experience a certain freedom as I cultivate this simple yet powerful choice to pray for others….as it means I have no idea of outcomes.
All too often, I don’t respond to the prompting to take action. This Easter, God placed a co-worker on my heart and He would not “let me off the hook”. In preparation for relocation, her entire family was already in Texas and she was living in a tiny hotel in NH all alone for a month. My extended family was planning to get together for dinner and God told me to invite my co-worker. I love to stamp cards so I made a simple invitation for Easter dinner and gave it to her – with much fear and trembling. My family can be… well… family! With all of our warts and beauty we are quite a mixed bag of nuts! My co-worker came to my desk in tears and accepted the invitation. She told me that she had been dreading spending the day alone. The day had its hiccups but everyone had a wonderful time of connection and some really great conversations around the table.