“YOUR CHRISTIAN ROI”

Week Twenty-Seven, 2020

“Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!” (James 2:26 CEV)

It’s a term commonly used in the business and investment world….. ROI, short for return on investment. Anyone who makes an investment or launches a business endeavor usually does it to make money. You want to ultimately take out more than you put in and that extra above your initial investment is your return on the investment.

There is a Christian ROI and that stands for return on involvement. One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of James. It is a general letter addressed to Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Though written as a letter, it is more like a short book of instructions for daily Christian living. It shows faith in action in wide and practical ways.

We are called to active Christian involvement in our living. Not only should our lives be different, but we are called to make a difference in others. James asks what good is it if you say you have faith and then do nothing to show that you really have faith.

He gives an example that if you know someone who has no clothes or food and you say, “I hope all goes well for you and I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat”. What good does it do to say this unless you do something to help.

Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone. We are called to have a living faith. The Word of God is alive and active (Heb 4:12). As Christians we ought to put our best efforts into fulfilling God’s will. We should please God by what we do and not just by what we believe.

How active is our faith in how we deal with others? What is your return on your Christian involvement?

Remember that your life may be the only Gospel that some people will ever read. James concludes Chapter 2 with such a pertinent and true verse: Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

In 2001 psychologist Dr. Edward Hallowell published, “Connect.” He wrote:

“We are a nation of doers. We hurry from place to place, filling our lives with all kinds of activities, sometimes over-scheduling our kids and ourselves. But what really sustains us emotionally, psychologically, and physically is connectedness; the feeling that we are a part of something that matters, something larger than ourselves that gives life meaning.

Just as there is a vitamin deficiency, there is a human contact deficiency, and it weakens the body, the mind, and the spirit. It ravages, can be severe depression, physical illness, or even early death. Or it can be mild like underachievement, fatigue, and loneliness.

Just as we need vitamin C each day, we also need a dose of human contact each day with other people. Do you miss your church when you cannot be with them?

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Hmmmmm?……. Soon, every baby boomer will be at least 65. Experts say that as a nation, we are not prepared for such a huge demographic shift. I wonder if this would be the case if American’s had not aborted nearly fifty million babies since boomers were born and abortion became legal…….. just wondering.

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Two Life Rules About Church Harmony:

1. Think the Best, Not the Worst

2. Speak to the Person, Not About the Person

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Our Bible is not a rule book. It’s a Relationship Book. Ken Whitten

I tried to walk a mile in my friend’s shoes, but it took so long to find a pair that would match my outfit. An entitled believer

Life decisions we make can be either a tipping point or a trapping point in our lives. Rob Taylor

God is more interested in answering our prayers than we are in asking them. Charles Spurgeon

We don’t need a platform or a position to share the Good News. Kelly Knouse

Christians spend more money in the streets than the followers of other religions spent in their temples. Historian Eberhard Arnold