“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.”
I told my grandkids that for the fall festival party, I was going to dress up as a “grumpy old man.” The 7-year-old cackled with glee and said, “Grandaddy, you’re already dressed in that outfit!” We had fun with that conversation. In real life, followers of Christ should be the most upbeat, joyful, and positive people in every crowd. If Jesus rescued us from an eternity in hell and a lonely, sad existence on earth, our actions and countenance should reflect that. Solomon is not suggesting our actions can save us, but like James, he is making a strong point that as God’s children, they should identify us. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that we are saved by grace alone. But as the rescued, our purpose turns toward being ambassadors of our new King. With the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, there is no way to conceal His power, as the fruit of the Spirit grows and spills over from our lives onto the lives of those we encounter. The bigger the platform, the greater the impact. However, even with a minuscule platform, those we encounter should recognize the light in us and be drawn to our Creator God. In a very practical sense, when we wound another, our love and faithful response can help heal and rectify the effects of the sinful offense we caused. Today, love others.#BeTheEdge
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6 NIV
