THE WORD: “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2
THE POINT: Profit is something that is relevant to everyone. Today, profitability is one of the primary measures of success. Without profitability no one can survive, much less thrive in these trying times. The word “profitability” comes from Latin, meaning, “to make progress”.
However, in order to be truly successful in life, you must first receive the Source of true success, Jesus Christ. That’s just the beginning! God’s people lacked the necessary follow-through. The same is true today. The gospel is GOOD NEWS, but it won’t do us any good if we don’t mix it with faith.
What does it mean to mix God’s Word with faith? Any good cook knows that there are certain very specific ingredients necessary to make the meal taste good. But, if those ingredients are not added correctly and mixed properly, the meal will not turn out right.
THE APPLICATION: The same thing pertains to your life. Just as you placed your faith in Christ to come into your life, you must also exercise faith in Christ to live your life. He will provide you with clear directions for living a truly successful life.
However, you must respond to Him in faith, based upon the leading of His Spirit, in accordance with His Word! Faith involves believing, receiving, and acting upon God’s Word so that it will be profitable to you. Otherwise, all you will have are human achievements and earthly attainments.
Jesus declared such things to be of no avail. He said “the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). The bottom line of such a “Profit and Loss Statement” is, you lose! This is not how God intended it at all. God is not against your being successful. It’s just that true success comes from God and God alone.
God made this clear in Joshua 1:8 when He said that if you meditate upon His Word and obey Him, then your way will be prosperous and you will be successful! God wants the best for you, but you must trust Him with your life.
It’s all in the mix! So, mix faith with God’s Word and act accordingly. Then you will have the winning combination for a profitable life!
THE PRAYER: “Dear God, I thought faith meant believing the facts. But now I see that faith requires actions. It is not enough to believe the right information. I need to act on what I believe. If I truly believe, I will act on my beliefs. I must take action by stepping out on what I believe. Then, I will get the desired results because You will bring it to pass. Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to profit by exercising faith in You and Your Word.”
By Dr. Lewis Gregory: Diaspora Messenger Contributor/sourceministries.net/go/
