I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -John 14:6 (NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

We all know them: unbelievers who model selfless, sacrificial behavior better than Christians do. They might follow other gods, or maybe don’t believe in any gods at all. And yet, they are genuinely kind,

They are good people.

Remember Uriah, the Hittite warrior husband to Bathsheba? King David, who strayed from following God when he slept with and impregnated Bathsheba, tried to manipulate Uriah so that the baby would appear to be Uriah’s. But, smelling something amiss, Uriah exercised restraint while honoring his king.

Uriah was not a follower of God, but as we have seen before in the bible, sometimes it’s the ones who aren’t believers who do a better job of showing love, kindness, and compassion that those who profess to love God. And yet, being a good person isn’t what will get you into heaven. You don’t earn a spot in heaven by just being a good person…through good works alone.

But what about Christ followers who don’t show His love to the world…who don’t show good works? Faith is key, with good works resulting from it. We show our faith in our fruits, which blossom forth from the Holy Spirit within us. We don’t do much in our calling–the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), to make Him known to all the corners of the earth–if we don’t live and walk in His Word.

We all fall short of His glory, but true believers will be so heavily convicted in their hearts when they sin that they will confess and repent of their sins, have those burdens dashed as far as the east is from the west, and return to God’s path. And that path–the only path to Him–is through Jesus. And when we walk that path, our deeds will demonstrate our faith.

So, it’s through our faith in Jesus, the only Way, Truth, and Life…the only way to the Father…which saves us. And the good works that will naturally spring forth from our walk in faith, that will make for a fragrant offering to make Him known. Have faith. Jesus is the only way. And if you follow Him, you will surrender all to Him and live to make Him smile, and the world will know you are His…a true believer who will spend eternity with the Father.

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭41-42‬ (HCSB)

Do you ever get so caught up in trying to do the right thing that you end up losing sight of the simple truth? I do.

The verses at the beginning of this post are the last two in Luke 10, where we see Jesus coming to the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Though this story about the visit is only a handful of verses long, it’s also sweet and to the point.

Martha lets Jesus in, and He begins teaching. Mary sits obediently at the feet of the Master, letting His teachings flow into her ears and heart. Martha, on the other hand, is stressed out with getting preparations just right for their very important guest.

Both sisters want to please and praise the Lord under the same roof. However, Jesus wants it to be clear that it’s not about how much you do, but that you not let your own busyness become your priority.

Simply put, we are to slow down…stop…and listen to His Word first, not later. When we put His Word in our hearts first, God has a way of then quickly sorting out all our other, lesser, priorities in the proper order.

We all turn into Martha when we let life start to get the better of us, but we can check ourselves and remember to go back to basics like Mary. It’s all about Jesus!

Today’s soundtrack

“Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman is this very struggle of living like Martha but wanting to live again like Mary.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. -Romans 3:23-24

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. -Proverbs 24:16

Fall seven times and stand up eight. -Japanese proverb

People love to watch others fall, don’t they?

If you are a professed believer and agent of light, it is a badge that others will be happy to besmirch when you fall. Sometimes, it’s even fellow believers who will unwittingly fall while they judge you!

Falling short is inevitable. We fail the Lord daily. But falling short is not hypocrisy.

Spiritual performance isn’t what gets you into Heaven, nor is it the measure of you as a believer. People and the enemy will love to tell you that you most certainly are your mistakes, and that you are a Christian in name only. Don’t buy into the lies.

The Christian life for us agents in this fallen world is not a sinless life, but one of a journey with eyes on Him while walking in the midst of sin. And sometimes, our eyes will be distracted from Him, and we will sin.

Being a Christian means you aspire to do your utmost for the Lord, whose Son gave Himself on the cross to wash away your sins and secure your salvation. It means you do your very best to honor Him by walking the narrow path, but are also freely forgiven for stumbling or falling off it. It means that when you fall, you get back up, pray your burdens up to the Lord, and get right back on His path for you.

It means that you are free from the condemnation and naysaying that others will pile on you. Your identity in Christ means you are loved, treasured, and forgiven. God sees you in your finished state, not the moment of your fall. He knows that your darkest moments and seasons are only part of His whole plan for you becoming ever more Christlike with each step.

It’s all in getting back up on your feet as He lovingly watches you and assures you He is with you every step of the way…and knowing in your heart that His love for you and how He sees you is all that matters…and that you will continue to make Him known through your recovery and continued walk in the steps He’s laid before you.

Today’s soundtrack

Tenth Avenue North’s “You Are More” reminds us of our true value in His eyes, especially in the face of the condemnation of others…and sometimes even from ourselves:

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. -James 2:14-17 (NKJV)

It’s easy to care from a distance. You feel like at least your heart cares, but surely someone else can help out. God will understand.

There’s a classic story about four people, named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. My pastor used it in a sermon once, and you may have heard it in other contexts as well:

This is a story about four people, named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did.
Somebody got angry about this, because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done!

Sound familiar?

It’s far too easy to feel like we have enough of our own problems than to selflessly serve others in His name. Let’s challenge ourselves to reach out first, instead of letting someone else take the lead.

Today’s soundtrack

Josh Wilson’s “I Refuse” urges us to stop being inert and be His hands and feet!