Daily Reading: 7-7-16
James 2:14-17 New Living Translation (NLT)
As God’s children we are to live our life each day by faith in His Word of love, not by what we see in our realm of awareness (Hebrews 11:6) “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 CEV). Maybe another way of saying these two things in a personal affirmation might be: I confidently live my faith out in tangible expressions of love by following the example of Jesus Christ in doing good and when I do I experience the heavenly realities of God and the riches of His kingdom being manifest on earth. Jesus prayed, “This is the way to have eternal life, to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3) Faith is a catalyst (stimulus) for experiencing the realities of heaven on earth and it is connected to God who is Love and the work of Christ to provide eternal life.
James 2:14-26 Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead
14 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? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 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?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Our God has chosen to meet human need by faith expressing itself in love (Galatians 5:6). In Christ, you may be the answer to someone’s prayer for help, today, so go about doing good.
Prayer: Good morning, Father, thank You for taking such good care of me. Thank You for being a wonderful example of eternal life for me to follow, Jesus. Holy Spirit, help me to spread good deeds and in so doing be the answer to someone’s prayer, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.