Da Word... 226! All about faith!

Sometimes an inordinate amount of attention is paid to what you do.  Is it always about what one does?  I mean... mustn't there be some kind of catalyst or other driving force that moves a person to act in the first place?  Is it truly all about the doing?  Or is there something more? Isn't it true that sometimes all it takes for a child to suddenly shine brilliantly and surpass his or her potential is someone believing in him or her?

Under what circumstances was it [faith] credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before?  It was not after, but before!

- Paul (Romans 4:10)

Here we have my man Paul droppin' some knowledge yet again.  He is talking about the patriarch Abraham from whence the nations of Israel and Ishmael draw origin.  See, "Abraham believed Pops and it was credited to him as righteousness" ( Rm 4:3 ).  In other words, homie was justified by faith!   Now that's great!  BUT... it gets even better.  

Abraham had it credited... BEFORE he was circumcised!   That, my friends, is HUGE!  Because under Jewish law, you gotta be circumcised.  For some reason, the Christian Jews at the time believed that God only justified or bestowed the Holy Spirit upon circumcised folk.  In the early days you had to convert to a Jew in order to be Christian!  What Paul says here directly flies in the face of that idea!

What point is Paul making?  He is making the point that obedience of the law is not what grants justification, or the grace of God.  It is FAITH.  Abraham wasn't even circumcised yet and Pops justified him...  So how could it POSSIBLY have anything to do with law?  huh?  It doesn't.  It has to do with the condition of one's heart.

In other words, it isn't all about what we do... it's all about faith.  And it is that faith that then impacts what we do.  See, faith is the driver.  It is by faith we are justified which gives us the limitless freedom to act.  That security allows us to act in a powerful way.  In fact, when we act we start to innately obey the law because the law is no longer some rule book that seems like a 12 ton chain.  Instead, the law becomes a part of our very being as a side effect in our quest to become more like Pops above.  In doing so, we start to think like He does, feel like He does, hurt like He does, and love like He does.

Bruthaz and sistaz, know this:  faith brings justification, not your acts;  your acts instead flow from your faith.  So take off that burden of thinking that obedience of the law to the letter is what will bring you salvation.  It won't, but it might drive you crazy because you can't. Naw lo, FAITH... faith is what will bring you salvation.  And then transform you from the inside.  Before you know it, you'll be doing the things of law innately as you become more and more like Pops above.   Word.

G-bless, 

   - patrick

Da Word... 225! Lift a finger

I bet you know some people that enjoy pointing out faults or making comments.  Sometimes we call them know-it-alls.  Aren't they some of the most annoying people in the world?  Yeah, fa' sho!  What's worse is that sometimes this kind  of person is oblivious to the fact that he/she is straight pushing people away!   Oy!  Not good not good.

Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them."

- Da Christ (Luke 11:46)

Yooooo!  My man J just laid the smack down on some Pharisees and teachers of the law kid!  These kats had invited J to dine with them.  And almost immediately these kats started noticing certain traditions J was "violating."  J himself noticed their noticing and found his teaching opportunity.  What follows was a host of "Woe to you...."  He laid them bare people. 

This woe in particular jumped out at me because there are a host of peeps just like this roaming the streets and many of our relationships.  People like this LOVE to point out something, make judgements, point the finger, the whole nine.  Yet in all of their screaming, they never EVER lift a single finger to help a brutha or a sista out!  No, they only break down but never build up.

A key example are many pro-lifers.  My girlfriend and I got into a discussion one time and she was telling me about a conversation she had with another individual.  What came out of it was the realization that many pro-lifers only spit "law", but don't back up their shouting with practical and tangible programs for helping people while in the path of life or in choosing the path of life.  You can't just say pro-life and then walk away.  What kind of .... is that? A host of issues emerge and need to be addressed.

These Pharisees and teachers of the law only sought to lay down the law and keep people down.  See, they had all the power and were living large.  They could be all pious, high and mighty; meanwhile the people suffered.  This is a recipe for disaster, division, and retribution.  We need to operate differently.  Let's not be that person or so-called friend who constantly pressures another and puts him or her down.  Let's instead seek to build people up even when we have to point out a particular flaw.  Destruction is good for no one.  But genuine interest and loving action in the development of our fellow brothers and sisters is beyond golden.  The strength of your relationships, communities, and organizations will grow ever stronger for it.  Buhlee dat.

G-bless, 

  - patrick