Lesson 2, Week 7: Grandparents Model Faith In Action
Today’s Scripture Focus: In the same way, faith by itself, if it is
not accompanied by action, is dead..
James 2:17
NIV
*Before you begin, ask the Holy
Spirit to teach you as you read God’s Word and seek His meaning.
Faith, in this new millennium,
can be exemplified when we travel by air, and assume we will arrive at our
destination. Faith, in this age of terrorism,
can be exhibited as we go about our work and daily errands, believing that we
will return home in the evening for dinner.
Both of these are examples of faith in action. But the question is what
is that faith in? Our government? Our homeland security? Ourselves or our God? Each American would have a different answer,
depending on what they believe. But for
Christians, the answer would foremost be God, then our government and homeland
security.
Yesterday, our lesson focused on
faith (belief) that God would answer our prayers. Today, we want to consider
faith in our Triune God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), and what
that godly faith looks like in action.
Think On
These Things
To see faith in action at it’s
best, let us turn to the first book of the Old Testament. In Genesis 6, God told Noah it was going to
rain, and Noah believed Him. Noah put
his faith in action when in spite of the fact it had never rained (Genesis
2:5-6), he started building the ark as God had commanded him to do.
Later, we read how God called Abram to leave the land of Ur
Again, God gave Abram a promise that he would have a
son from his own body as his heir.
Genesis 15:6 says that Abram believed God, but somewhere between the
promise and the fulfillment, Abram and his wife Sarai got impatient and decided
that maybe, just maybe, they were to help God fulfill this promise. Then, Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, became
involved. Sarai gave the slave girl to
Abram to sleep with, and she conceived a child for Abram and Sarai, but this
was not the child the Lord had promised, and there were many consequences to
their impatient action. We, too, must be
careful when God gives us a promise, and we are waiting for its fulfillment. We must not attempt to take over and do it
for God. That is not faith in action,
but us in His way. Always when we
step out of God’s will, there are consequences, and the fulfillment may even be
delayed.
Read Hebrews 11 for a complete cast of characters
demonstrating faith in action. By doing
so, you get a complete sense of what action powered faith looks like and what
blessings can be reaped when we response with such faith. But don’t stop there; let’s look at modern
day disciples who are propelled by action faith. Who are they and what do they do?
They are the people who power their faith with action
by praying for their families, the sick, their president, their country and the
world. They are the ones who form prayer
groups and cover God’s servant in prayer.
They are the doers of the Word.
People with an active faith are
the parents who seek to raise their children in a godly home, and then free
them to try their wings as they become young adults. These parents are trusting God to lead the
their adult children. Faith in action
(trust in God) is what enables these Christian parents to let go with peace in
their hearts.
Active faith is what allows
grandparents to live miles
from their children and
grandchildren, believing that Jehovah-Shamah, a God who is present, will be
there watching over their long distance family.
Faith in action causes us to
speak positive words, not negative ones. Our speech reflects the depth of our
faith.
We can say we believe God will do
this and that, but until we start praising Him for what He has done, is doing,
and will do, our faith lies dormant like the trees and grass in the
winter. Faith cannot grow until it is
nourished with active belief, then it sprouts, bursts forth and blooms,
producing fruit for the Kingdom.
Christians are constantly given
opportunities to exercise their faith.
They know that God is a rewarder of faith, that faith pleases God. And
without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him. Hebrew 11:6 NIV
What I Have
Learned
If ___________is not accompanied
by _________,
it is ______________.
Noah put action with his faith
when he ___________________ even though it hadn’t _______.
Abram showed faith in action when
he ___________
_____________________________________________.
_____________________________________________.
Abram and Sarai got impatient and
tried to help God fulfill his promise by _________________________.
When we try to help God out by
taking matters into our own hands, there are always _____________________.
List five biblical characters
from Hebrews 11 and tell how they put their faith in action:
1. _________ _______________________________
2. ________ ________________________________
3.
________
________________________________
4.
________
________________________________
5.
________ ________________________________
Give three examples of how modern
day Christians can
demonstrate faith in action:
1.
__________________________________________
2.
__________________________________________
1.
3.
__________________________________________
Without _______________it is
impossible to __________ ____________.
I Will
Apply What I Have Learned
STEP 1: I will make my petitions known to God in
prayer, then praise Him for His answers by statement the answer to each
petition as if it has already come to be.
EXAMPLE: (Petition) Dear Lord, Jim needs a job where
he will be surrounded by other Christians, enabling his roots to grow deep in
You. (Praise) Lord, I praise You for the job that You have selected for Jim. I praise You that there are Christians there
who will be a support to Jim. I praise
You for the plan that You have for Jim’s life, a plan to give him hope and a
future (Jeremiah 29:11). In Jesus name, I thank You. Amen
STEP 2: I will release my children and grandchildren
into God’s loving care daily. I will
mentally practice placing them in God’s arms until I automatically do this in
regard to every circumstance.
STEP 3: I will activate my faith by the words I
speak. I will choose to speak positive words to those I come in contact with
daily. If I have developed a bad habit of negative talk, I will ask the Holy
Spirit to enable me change. I will read
God’s Word daily and speak His promises aloud, increasing my faith. I refuse to speak words of doubt and
unbelief. My words, powered by my faith,
will be a witness to my children, grandchildren, and others, that I expect God
to act.
Dear Lord,
I want to thank You for Hebrews 11 and the
great cast of characters you have listed there to encourage us to act with
faith. Indeed, they are wonderful
examples of faith in action. Lord, I
want to be like that, for Your Word tells us that faith pleases You. Help me this day to demonstrate faith in
action to my children and grandchildren, and to others.
When I speak negative words, convict me
Holy Spirit, that I may confess, repent, and change. Fill me with the power of Your Word, that my
heart and mind may be filled to the brim with Your promises, and the Words of
my mouth will spillover in faith to others.
Empower me to continually release with
faith, my children and grandchildren into Your hands, knowing that I can safely
trust them to Your watchcare.
Lord, enable me to have a living, active
faith that gives You the glory. In
Jesus’ name, Amen
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