I love Jesus. I love Him so much. Some of my sins were atrocious, yet He forgave me. I could have gone to prison or I could have been killed, but He protected me. I didn’t know He was protecting me until years later. Even after I saw Him for the first time when I was sixteen I committed a grievous sin that I am very much ashamed of. Still, He watched out for me, and six years later He walked me down the aisle to an altar at an old-fashioned camp meeting in the country, where He knelt in front of me and I was born again without uttering a word.
Paul said he was the very least of all saints, and the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, but he didn’t know I was going to show up. I am the least in everything. I don’t say this lightly; I mean every word. I am the least of all, not worthy of anything. And yet God gives me all things.
My path is not one I would have chosen for myself. I walk alone because many misunderstand the path I travel. There are many thorns along this path that scratch and tear, but the pain they cause is offset by the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ. It’s like walking through a garden of roses; the fragrance overshadows the thorns.
My marriage is wonderful. Our son is wonderful. Our grandkids are wonderful. Our Lord is wonderful. What more could anyone ask for? We who are in the kingdom of God are in a kingdom of love, for our God is love. It sometimes seems unbelievable, yet it is true.
Don’t judge one another; love one another; bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. Many will think you’re crazy for giving so much of yourself for the sake of others, but that is the law of Christ; that is what He is about. And what could matter more than doing the will of God, who is Himself love?
Yes, we must take care of ourselves and our families. But if we follow Jesus we must love even our enemies. When was the last time you helped out one of your enemies? Did you turn your cheek the last time one of them slapped you in the face, either literally or figuratively? I’m speaking of doing these things out of a love that genuinely cares for others, as well as yourself.
What good does it do to know the precepts of God if we don’t act on those precepts? We can sing songs and talk about how we as Christians love and care for others all day and all night long. But if we do nothing out of the love we claim to have for others, we are impostors.
Just as faith without works is dead, being alone, so is talking without actions dead also. And if they are dead, all the talking is useless, just as faith without works is useless. People sing and make confessions or testimonies in church only to go home and live for themselves and not for Christ.
Most people in the churches have been upstanding citizens and have never committed what might be termed egregious sins. So they have been forgiven little, while those of us who have committed some bad things have been forgiven much. For this reason, Jesus said concerning the woman who washed His feet with perfume and anointed His head with oil, “…her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little,” Luke 7:47.
Although this is true, it is not an excuse to be selfish and ignore those in need. Jesus gave His life for us. Should we not at least give our time, our money, or our help to others? One of the greatest commands Jesus left for us is to love one another.
For those who believe James was wrong in saying faith without works is dead, I leave you with the following Scriptures:
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and WILL THEN RECOMPENSE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS, Matthew 16:27.
And lovingkindness is Thine, O Lord, for Thou dost recompense a man according to his work, Psalm 62:12.
If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:12.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
jondavidbanks.com 