Transformed Mind

“Unless we regain the art of silence and insight, the ability for non-activity, unless we substitute true leisure for our hectic amusements, we will destroy our culture – and ourselves.” – Josef Pieper, Indeed. We in fact become idolaters when we immerse ourselves in work as an end in itself, when in reality it is simply a means to sustaining our lives, lives that are meant for more. We are to glorify God and edify others. These are the chief concerns of life. Leisure is the ability to let go of oneself and to engage the world and others in a deep and meaningful way. With that, take some time to reevaluate your life. Are you wasting away working for works sake? Take a walk outside and just be still, that is, listen to the world around you. Engage a thought-provoking book and just contemplate its message or find a friend and just talk about life. Take care and God bless.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” – James 2:14 Hmm, good question brother James, what does saving faith look like? Off the bat, before I even skim the top of this question, I would like to clarify one thing. James is in no way saying that a person can save themselves through works. His friend and colleague Paul makes this quite clear. The difference is that where Paul talks about God’s grace alone saving through faith (Ephesians 2:5), that is, a believer’s initial entry into a relationship with God through Christ, James here talks about what that transforming, new creation life looks like once brought into relationship and under the care of God. Friends, Jesus did not take the sins of the world upon himself so that we could give him a nod of acknowledgement and then go right back to sinning, NO, we are made into a new creation, “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand…” (Ephesian...

The United States is ripe with people that are eager to know God and Jesus personally, but have not yet had the opportunity of meeting him because of the cowardice, apathetic attitudes, and fear of many Christians today in sharing the life saving word that is Jesus Christ.   Christians need to change their attitude and ways in which they do life, or suffer a slow and painful withdrawal from the society we have been sent to save through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.   Although it is true that works do not save a person as noted in Psalm 127:1, Rom 3:20, and many others, they do and should play a significant role in the life of the true Christian.   Works should not be seen as something we have to do, but as something we get to do for the glory of God.   In the final judgment, works are an evidence of faith as shown in Matthew 25:34-40.   Here we see the sick being cared for, the hungry fed, and so forth, showing that in faith, Jesus’...