Faith Without Deeds is Dead

Let's just jump right into it. The Lord has been teaching me so much the past few weeks. A reoccurring theme, though, has been that faith without deeds is dead. Did that hit anyone else over the head? Lately, I've been focusing on being active in activities that involve worshipping God. Whether that means participating in a small group, going to a worship service. or simply going to church. But, have I really done anything?

Debatable. Faith alone does not mean you're righteous.

I've been reading through the book of James and surprisingly it has rocked my world. I say that's surprising, but walking with the Lord always is - so really I shouldn't be surprised haha. This morning, James 3 was speaking right to me.

Verse 2 claims, "We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never in fault in what they say is perfect." Basically, everyone stumbles and we are no where near perfect. Verses 5, 8, and 9 all speak volumes about how our tongue is used to bring harm or to bring glory. Verse 5, "the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts." Isn't it funny how our tongue is the strongest muscle in our body, and it can do the most damage when it comes to speaking harsh or contradictory words? I never realized how much harm we can do with our words.

Satan has a way of tricking us into using our words for evil, rather than using them to bring joy to others. It may sound crazy, but think about it, when is the last time you vented about someone around you and didn't think twice about it. That vent session was an outlet to curse others - and that same tongue is used to praise God. See the problem?

I was not created to be perfect. God has created us to spread his wealth and to spread His good news. Our tongue can be used for evil if we're not careful and if we're not seeking the words to say from the Lord. Be mindful of your conversations, someone may overhear that vent session and you may lose your credibility. Some may hang on to your words, so use them to glorify the Lord.

Our words are a gift to speak praise and encouragement! Live a life of good deeds and pure words, the Lord will bless that by giving you "wisdom that  is pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere" verse 17.

I needed that hit on the head. Who knows, maybe one of you did too!

Anyone else feeling the weight here? Maybe I should lighten it up a little! On a lighter note, here are a few gems from this past weekend and so far this week.

Of course I started out my weekend at home at one of my favorite places, Red Bowl. Our great, silly friend Burt tagged along and graced us with his presence.

This little guy was hanging out on the door when we got home!

Burt also helped while I was baking Papa's cake by decorating cookies to reflect his Clemson pride. I must say, he has quite the creative side!

The finished sugar free cake, I was so proud! Papa is diabetic, but loves sugar, so I had to make sure it was just as sweet and delicious as any other cake!

 Madre and I treated ourselves to a mani&pedi morning which was wonderful and relaxing.

 I had a hankering for chocolate yesterday but didn't want to put in too much effort. The outcome? Chocolate mug cake! Throw in 3 tbsp almond flour, 1 egg, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, a little dash of cinnamon and a little bit of vanilla - microwave for 2 minutes and there ya have it! Delicious!

Tay and I went on a spontaneous trip to Greer to see Kari Jobe perform.. FOR FREE!

She was seriously wonderful. The concert was exactly what my heart needed to refresh. Thank you for reviving my soul Jesus!

That's all I have for you so far this week. Happy Wednesday people, the weekend is almost here!