Grains of Sand

Pixabay It was the moment of truth. The nation had to decide who it would follow—Baal or the Lord God. Elijah climbed Mount Carmel to be confronted by a bevy of four hundred and fifty prophets who have come to prove that Baal was God, backed by another four hundred and fifty prophets of Asherah, Queen Jezebel’s preferred. He stands alone, but doesn’t hesitate to turn to the people and challenge them with this: “ How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. ” (1 Kings 18:21) Did he hope they would make the choice without the test that was to follow? The telling statement follows: “ But the people said nothing .” Silence. I suppose the good thing was that they didn’t cheer for Baal either. They were waiting for proof and when God delivered they would fall on their faces and declare, “ The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God! ” (vs. 39) One of the criticisms often leveled at believers is that they practice “blind” faith. ...

Google Images What you and I do, counts. it’s not a question of gaining salvation or adding to salvation, it’s a question of giving evidence that the salvation that is being professed is real. “ ...faith by itself ,” writes James, “ if it is not accompanied by action, is dead ” (James 2:17). He goes on to give two examples. Abraham took his only son up a mountain and was prepared to sacrifice him at God’s command. It was action taken out of the faith that the patriarch had in his God. Rahab hid the Israelite spies, not out of compassion, but out of faith in the God who had sent them to Jericho. These people, and others like them (Hebrews 11) did the hard things because they believed. Their actions proved the validity of their faith. While the Scriptures tell us not to judge, it doesn’t take much judgment to know that where there is no action that bears witness to it, there is also no faith.