Alec held his breath and tried not to roll his eyes. “Oh no, why are they asking me about God?” he thought to himself. He quietly released the air from his lungs, and then responded, “I believe in what I can see, things that are real. I’ve never seen God, so I don’t believe in him.”
“Yes, but everything you see, was created by someone. It didn’t just appear out of nothing, right?” Ross did his best to convince his new friend that God was real.
Alec was quick to respond, “science has shown that the earth was formed billions of years ago. Planets and stars form all of the time. The earth is just one of millions or billions of planets in the universe.”
Tina spoke up, “so, where did all of the stuff of the universe come from?”
“I admit, no one knows the answer, but scientists are discovering more and more about how the universe came to exist,” said Alec. “To me, it makes more sense than believing that there is some hidden God, that made everything.”
Ross glanced at Tina. He wasn’t sure how much he should push the issue. He didn’t want to pressure Alec too much. He hoped Tina would have something to add. The three friends sat sipping their milk shakes.
Alec wondered if Ross and Tina always discussed deep issues in a fast food restaurant booth. However, he was glad to have made friends since his family moved to the city earlier in the year. The first day at school had been painful, especially at lunchtime. Sitting alone in the cafeteria was dreadfully lonely. He was overjoyed when Ross and Tina introduced themselves, and joined him at his table.
Now, Alec wondered about his new friends. Deep down, he felt a hint of disappointment to learn that they were Christians. “I hope they don’t keep pushing their beliefs on me,” he told himself.
Ross perked up. “Hey, why don’t you come to our youth group Wednesday evening. The youth leader is a great guy. He is really funny, and we play some great games.”
“Yea, maybe,” Alec agreed, but only to please Ross. He didn’t have any interest in actually going to the meeting.
“Great!” Ross exclaimed, believing Alec was taking his first step toward becoming a believer.
After that, the conversation turned to football team’s performance the previous night.
The following Tuesday, Alec was armed with an excuse. He knew Ross would remind him about his church youth group meeting, and he was ready for the unwanted invitation.
“I can’t go. My parents are going out, and I have to stay home and babysit my little brother,” Alec responded without hesitation.
“Okay, maybe another time,” said Ross, hiding his disappointment.
The boys sat quietly for a few moments, balanced on the old maple tree limbs behind Ross’s house. Together, they stared down the small hill that overlooked the changing colors of the trees below.
Alec turned to Ross. “By the way, what is up with Tina?”
“What do you mean?” Ross asked.
“I mean, she is a Christian, right?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Ross responded skeptically, wondering what his friend was getting at.
“How come she doesn’t act like one? I mean, I know you volunteer at the community center a lot, and help out at your church,” Alec paused.
“That’s right,” said Ross.
“Well, Tina talks about God, and the Bible, but she doesn’t do much about it. What I’m trying to say is, why doesn’t she do the Christian things that you do?” Alec asked.
Ross was caught by surprise. He made an effort to live out his faith the best way he knew, but tried not to worry about what other believers did, or didn’t do.
“I don’t know. Every Christian does what they believe is right,” Ross responded, but felt it was a weak answer to an honest question. In a way Alec was right. Tina should have a faith that leads to actions. Ross made a mental note to ask Tina about it.
Ross was glad when his friend changed the subject abruptly.
“Hey, do you know what we should do?” Alec said with enthusiasm.
“What?” said Ross.
“We should build a treehouse in this big, old maple tree,” suggested Alec.
“That’s a great idea. My grandfather has a stack of lumber in his barn that no one has touched in years. I’m sure he will let us use some of it.” Ross studied the arrangement of the tree limb, figuring out which ones might support a treehouse.
“My father has hammers and saws that we can use. He won’t mind, as long as we return them when we are done,” Alec said.
Both boys discussed the project with excitement until the sun dropped behind the distant horizon. When it became too difficult to see in the fading light, they called it a day.
A whole week passed before the subject of the treehouse was raised again. On a cool autumn evening, he boys meet at Ross’s house.
“Hey, you missed a great carnival Saturday. Tina and some other friends from school went. You should have come with us,” Alec described the fun time at the yearly carnival. The community held the event to raise money for the local hospital.
“Yes, but I had already promised my grandfather that I would mow his lawn. He needed some yardwork done too,” Ross explained.
“Couldn’t you have done it later?” Alec asked.
“No, I already put it off because of the swim meet. I knew he wouldn’t complain if the grass got out of hand, but I wanted to help him out. Ever since he started walking with a cane, he can no longer do the work himself,” said Ross.
“Wow! Spending your whole Saturday doing yardwork is a big sacrifice,” Alec exclaimed.
“My grandfather was the type of person who always helped people in need. I figure it is time he gets a helping hand in return,” Ross shrugged.
Looking Ross in the eye, Alec could see that his friend was not bitter about missing out on a fun time. Even though they had been friends for a less than two months, Alec could tell that Ross really cared about other people. After a silent pause, Alec continued, “You do things, like helping your grandfather, because of your Christian beliefs, right?”
“That’s right. I believe the Bible teaches us to be loving and giving,” said Ross.
Alec’s expression softened, “Most people don’t do the things you do. Why do you have such a strong belief in God?”
… to be continued.
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What are some thing that Ross did that showed he was a person of faith?
Read James 2:14 – 18
In verse 18 James says, “Show me your faith without deeds”
What does faith without deeds look like?
What does faith with deeds look like?
Is there a difference?
Why is it important to have both faith and deeds?
What are some things (deeds) you could do today to show you have faith?