Two Part Harmony

Nouns and verbs are connected.  Whether they are implied or blatant, the law of language demands they occur together and in harmony.  The same concept applies to our lives of faith in Christ Jesus.  We cannot have the promises of God without our actions agreeing with our declarations of faith in Him.  If we say we believe but our lives demonstrate a different message then we are being what the Bible calls a double-minded man. This kind of living produces inner turmoil, fragmented relationships, and it results in death.

BUT when our actions harmonize with our words, great and exciting things begin to happen.  The Word comes to life in new and exciting ways.  As we consistently live what we say we believe, we discover not only who God really is but who we really are.


               Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 
                              John 11:40 NLT

The word "believe" (like "faith" and "trust") is both a noun and a verb and are often used interchangeably.  We will hear people say things like:

"I believe God will ..........."

"I trust God to .........."

"I have faith God is ............"

Used in this context, these words are nouns.  But in the book of James we are reminded that our faith (or trust or belief) in God is seen in our good works.  Used in this context, they are now verbs for they are the actions of our daily life.  When we say we believe God is bringing something into our life we then have the responsibility of remaining obedient to Him until He brings it to pass.

Harmony between our words and our actions must agree in order for us to see God's glory.

Jesus tells us that the promises of God are for "whosoever will believe" and that "we are saved by our faith" in Him.  These are gifts from God that we do not deserve and cannot earn.  We have them only because we accept them as truth in our life.  But if we declare we believe this with our mouth and then try to earn it through good works, then we are not living what we say we believe.

The power of our words is seen in our actions.

We can ask God to do something for us and believe that He will bring it to pass but if we decide He is taking too long and we start trying to manipulate the situation ourselves, then we are being double minded.  Getting in God's way like this will delay the delivery of His answer to our prayers.

Every time I have tried to work a situation out the way I wanted it without waiting for God, it has failed miserably.  I have learned (and sometimes re-learned) to ask God for His help and then wait for Him to make it happen.  Getting out ahead of God only produces frustration.

Waiting on God's perfect timing is not easy.  He is not bound or limited to time like we are.  Trusting God to help us requires that we wait for His assistance.  We cannot force His hand.  Galatians 6:9 promises that if we don't give up then we will receive the harvest.  When we wait on God, He will step in to do what we cannot and the end result is peace and joy.
 
Remember that God's timing is perfect.  He knows when the best time is for you to have something and He also knows when what you have asked for will bring more harm than good.  Trust Him.  God will never do anything to harm you and everything He does is for your benefit.

When our actions confirm our declarations of faith, we will live in perfect two part harmony.
Heidirn