While it is true that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works, it is equally true that we demonstrate the genuineness of our faith by living a life that is pleasing to God. Dr. Michael Youssef clarifies the relationship between faith and works in today's devotional.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the daily devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading
[00:00:06] The Way.
[00:00:08] Genuine Face by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:13] Jewish American social critic Dennis Prager says he often asks what was the greatest revelation
[00:00:20] he derived from his research into ancient religions.
[00:00:23] He determined that the Bible has to have been the product of divine revelation.
[00:00:28] His teachings are too counterintuitive, too opposed to human nature and to the surrounding
[00:00:33] culture to have sprung from human imagination.
[00:00:36] The result of that divine inspiration was a collection of moral principles and precepts
[00:00:41] that enabled the creation of Western civilization.
[00:00:45] Today there are many movements within Western civilization that seek to undo 5,000 years
[00:00:50] of moral and cultural progress.
[00:00:53] Even in the Church there are teachers and leaders who are trying to divorce the
[00:00:56] Church from God's Word.
[00:00:58] Today the Church desperately needs parents, Bible teachers, Sunday school teachers, youth
[00:01:03] leaders, mentors who will tell the next generation that God deeply cares how we live our lives.
[00:01:10] Above all, we need to make sure that whenever we share the gospel, especially with young
[00:01:14] people, we make it clear that accepting Jesus is more than simply giving intellectual
[00:01:20] assent to a creed.
[00:01:22] Salvation consists of receiving Jesus as not only Savior, but Lord.
[00:01:27] All too often the evangelical Church has preached a false gospel, a heretical gospel of easy
[00:01:33] believism—a gospel that says if you just pray a certain prayer at some point in your
[00:01:38] life then you are free to live your life any way you please.
[00:01:42] While it is true that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works, it is
[00:01:47] equally true that we are to demonstrate the genuineness of our faith by living
[00:01:51] a life that is pleasing to God.
[00:01:53] If we say we have faith but our way of life does not demonstrate our faith, then is our
[00:01:59] faith genuine?
[00:02:00] Let's pray together.
[00:02:02] Father help us to be godly examples of genuine faith to the young people that you
[00:02:06] have placed in our lives.
[00:02:08] We pray that the Church would repent of preaching a false gospel that cheats people out of
[00:02:13] the beauty and richness of a righteous life rooted in a relationship with you.
[00:02:18] We pray this in the name of Jesus.
[00:02:21] Amen.
[00:02:22] If today's devotional encouraged you, we'd love to hear about it.
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[00:02:30] My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusef.
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