Is Your Faith Dead or Alive?
James 2:14-18 (NLT)
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
Reflection
My favorite part about my job is having the opportunity to hear people share how God has worked in their lives. It is powerful to listen to people describe how their life looks different now that they have put their faith in God, submitted their life to God, and are pursuing a life that reflects Jesus. Their actions look different. Their perspective has changed. The decisions they make are different. And this is how it should be. If we have put our faith in God, if we are in a relationship with God, our lives should reflect it. Our faith should compel us to live life differently than we did before we met God. Our faith should compel us to action.
In the passage above, James is challenging the Jewish Christians to live life differently. This passage doesn’t contradict the Apostle Paul’s message in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by faith in God (not works); instead, it challenges people to make sure that their faith compels them to live differently.
When we love God, we should love others. Loving others should be modeled not by just saying we love them but by helping others and meeting their needs. For example, I can tell my husband and my kids that I love them, that I want the best for them, and that I care about them. But, if I never display actions that illustrate those words, I bet my husband and children won’t appreciate my words as much and may even doubt that I truly love them. Similarly, if I only model my love for them through actions but never put any emotions or words behind those actions, that, too, wouldn’t be a good representation of my love for them. It is the confession of my love for them, in addition to actions (works) of love for them, that are the testimony of my love for them. Our faith in God should cause us to confess and demonstrate our love for others.
There are so many ways that our faith in God can be displayed through how we practically care for others. Each of us have daily opportunities to interact with others and share the love of Christ. When we live out our faith by being an example of God’s love, it points others to Christ. Let’s allow our faith to compel us to action!
Action Steps
1. What is one thing that you can do today to put your faith in God into action? (Some examples might include taking a meal to someone who needs support, helping pay a bill for someone who is struggling financially, speaking encouraging words to the people around you, or caring for those in need.)
2. What are two other things you can do this week to put your faith in God into action?
Prayer
Father, we are so thankful that we don’t have to earn our salvation but that it is faith in You that saves us. We want our faith to be displayed by true life change and a desire to love others well. Help us to see needs and to meet them. Help us to have Your love displayed in our daily lives. Thank You for loving us! Amen.
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
Reflection
My favorite part about my job is having the opportunity to hear people share how God has worked in their lives. It is powerful to listen to people describe how their life looks different now that they have put their faith in God, submitted their life to God, and are pursuing a life that reflects Jesus. Their actions look different. Their perspective has changed. The decisions they make are different. And this is how it should be. If we have put our faith in God, if we are in a relationship with God, our lives should reflect it. Our faith should compel us to live life differently than we did before we met God. Our faith should compel us to action.
In the passage above, James is challenging the Jewish Christians to live life differently. This passage doesn’t contradict the Apostle Paul’s message in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by faith in God (not works); instead, it challenges people to make sure that their faith compels them to live differently.
When we love God, we should love others. Loving others should be modeled not by just saying we love them but by helping others and meeting their needs. For example, I can tell my husband and my kids that I love them, that I want the best for them, and that I care about them. But, if I never display actions that illustrate those words, I bet my husband and children won’t appreciate my words as much and may even doubt that I truly love them. Similarly, if I only model my love for them through actions but never put any emotions or words behind those actions, that, too, wouldn’t be a good representation of my love for them. It is the confession of my love for them, in addition to actions (works) of love for them, that are the testimony of my love for them. Our faith in God should cause us to confess and demonstrate our love for others.
There are so many ways that our faith in God can be displayed through how we practically care for others. Each of us have daily opportunities to interact with others and share the love of Christ. When we live out our faith by being an example of God’s love, it points others to Christ. Let’s allow our faith to compel us to action!
Action Steps
1. What is one thing that you can do today to put your faith in God into action? (Some examples might include taking a meal to someone who needs support, helping pay a bill for someone who is struggling financially, speaking encouraging words to the people around you, or caring for those in need.)
2. What are two other things you can do this week to put your faith in God into action?
Prayer
Father, we are so thankful that we don’t have to earn our salvation but that it is faith in You that saves us. We want our faith to be displayed by true life change and a desire to love others well. Help us to see needs and to meet them. Help us to have Your love displayed in our daily lives. Thank You for loving us! Amen.
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