Today

I remember visiting this church on time as a candidate to possibly be their pastor. As I was getting to know them one of the elders was telling me how they were primed and ready for God to do a great work in their church. This loving brother continues to tell me how the church had over $2,000,000 sitting in the bank. Wow! I began to share with them some ways in which they could use some of those resources that God had provided to reach the community and open peoples eyes to a God that loves them and sent His Son to die that they might get saved. I was then delivered the unexpected blow. "Oh no, pastor, that money is for the day that we need to build a new sanctuary." As the discussions continued, I discovered that this money had been sitting in the bank for nearly 25 years while this church had been sitting and waiting for God to grow the church. (the building they were in could sit around 200 and on their biggest Sunday they once ran 152 people; average weekly attendance was about 45)

This church, like many others, is stuck in wait mode. Waiting for the day that God is going to do something great. Their faith is something that will someday be great but not today. I need a God that is TODAY!

When Jesus started His sharing the Good News, He started with a simple message, "The Kingdom of God is near." (or at hand) In this little statement Jesus was saying that God and His kingdom are NOW! Stop waiting for a God who will do great things and start living for a God who is doing great things. God wants to be part of your life today. He has great things for you today.

When we live a life waiting, we fail to actively participate with God to bring resumption to to the world. God never called us to wait. It is His desire to use us as Christ's ambassadors to let others know that they can obtain God's kingdom NOW!

How about you? Are you waiting for a God who will someday do something great or our you living with a God who is working in your life right now?

James 2:14-26 says,
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

God loves you today! He wants to be part of you today. Will you live for Him today?