As I’m taking care of my paperwork today, Papa God brings the situation to my heart and shows me that what I saw back then as a huge “flex” isn’t really a “flex” after all.
Years ago, I was part of a church organization and experienced a special moment that made a deep impression on me at the time.
The pastor called on several church members to share their testimonies.
In the instance I’m referring to, a woman stepped forward to testify that she had earned her bachelor’s degree.
This in itself is a wonderful and special achievement that certainly deserves to be acknowledged, and I, like many others, was impressed by her accomplishment.
She then went on to say that she had enrolled in the program but hadn’t actually done any of the assignments and that she was only able to complete it because of God. She boasted that she never lifted a finger to finish the program.
This was exactly what we all wanted to hear—that you can achieve major milestones by doing nothing.
I’ve been super impressed by this for years, especially because I know that Papa makes everything work out for the good. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good—for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Perhaps a bit naive, I’ve looked forward for years to these kinds of manifestations of our Father’s miraculous works. And I won’t say that He hasn’t performed miracles in my life, because He certainly has; if you read my other blogs, you’ll see the testimonies of His goodness in our lives.
After some time, He brought this verse to my attention: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17
At first, I couldn’t grasp what this verse actually meant. But after spending some time talking with Papa God, He revealed to me that He wants to give me everything, but that I must do the necessary work to receive it. I won’t achieve my goals by sitting on the couch watching TV.
This new insight puts the testimony of the woman mentioned above in a different perspective.
Perhaps she was just bragging that she hadn’t lifted a finger for her degree to make her testimony sound more impressive.
The fact that we have is stated in James 2:17. This is a fact, because Papa God doesn’t lie. His Word is truth!
What it is doing, though, is putting Romans 8:28 in a new perspective. He works all things together for our good. This is also a fact—His Word is truth here as well—but that doesn’t happen if we just sit on the couch watching TV.
I take the following from the revelation He gave me:
- Don’t be too quick to be impressed by people; stories can be exaggerated;
- Not every blessing comes from our Source.
