Our heart is what God is after and what He judges. Mankind is very "good" at dressing, sounding, and looking the part of righteousness. We can dress up the tomb with a great display and trick men into thinking that we are righteous, but the truth is that there is still only deadman's bones inside. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean", (Matthew 23:27). God knows not just what we do but why we do it. Man only sees the actions and count it unto us as righteousness. Most of what is done in the body of Christ is being done out of broken motives, whether vanity, greed, pride, frustration, anger, jealousy, pleasing men, lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, coveting another's gift, or out of evil. These motives will no more store up treasure in heaven for a vessel than if the vessel never came to God through Jesus Christ. To God, works performed out of these motives will be burned up. "Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire", (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).
"Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father", (John 14:10-12). The works that Jesus Christ performed were to show the children of Israel and the gentiles that He was indeed the Son of God. As Jesus stated in the passage above, it was God living in Him and doing His work. This is the vessel that God will use to do His works. The heart that is sold out to Jesus Christ, will give all the glory to Him as these works are being performed through them. All works performed out from the flesh will be burned up by the fire. While most saints know that they could not earn their salvation through works, nor could they keep their salvation through works, failed to realize the enemy has allowed them to settle for earning man's approval through their works. "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. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do", (Ephesians 2:8-10). Having the approval of man may fulfill a need for acceptance now, but just like every vain thing it will be consumed. The only works that will settle you treasure in Heaven (not because you performed something great, but because you were obedient to allow the Lord to use your vessel), will be those "Real Works" performed by the Holy Spirit, all others are counterfeits!!! Today, let us check the motives of our works to insure that we are keeping it real with all in the body of Christ. Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of keeping it real on purpose!!!!!
James 1
Listening and Doing
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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