Living Proof

This is no ordinary Mason Jar.  This is a jar that is alive!  Its life is because of what’s inside.  This is my Sour Dough Starter that I’ve had for over 30 years!!  Of course it’s not the original contents from thirty years ago, but it’s been added to over the years so that it will stay active.  It actually bubbles inside because of the fermentation that is going on inside the jar.  It’s this “life” that produces these delicious bread loaves a couple times a month!

I simply “feed” the starter every couple of weeks to keep it active and ready to produce these amazing loaves of bread, Cinnamon Bread and even Cinnamon Rolls.

One morning this week I approached the counter where my jar was standing, and I could see the bubbles and hear the gentle fizzing of its contents.  It immediately reminded me of what I studied earlier in the morning in the Book of James 2:26 –

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

My jar would be “dead” if it wasn’t for the contents inside that give it “life.”  Because of the ingredients, there is something going on inside!

Because I trusted Christ as my personal Savior, there should be an activity produced in my life – it’s called works.  It’s a natural outflow of my walk with God, my relationship with Christ and my obedience to His Word.

The moment I put my complete trust in the cross-work of Christ and received Him, a change was made that began to produce things that had never been there before. I began to love the Bible and wanted to obey it. I wanted to share with others how Jesus had died for our sins. I had compassion on people who had needs.   That kind of activity – a bubbling up of life – if you will, should be happening every day I’m alive!  It’s activity should be seen by those that observe my life.  It’s not what saves me, it happens as a result of my position in Christ.

What kind of activity is bubbling up in your Christian life that is evidence of the fact that you  belong to God and have a personal relationship with Him?  If there’s nothing going on inside, then there is no spiritual life.  The place you need to start is by receiving Christ with your heart, not just your intellect.  After that, something will be going on that others will see!  More than bread will be the byproduct; you’ll be producing spiritual fruit that brings glory to God!

Oh, and if you want the recipe for the starter and the Sour Dough bread, you can find it here!

What works are bubbling up from your life today as a result of what’s in your heart?