Good Morning Friends,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man
claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a
brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him,
‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his
physical needs, what good is it? In the
same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone
will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and
I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:14-18)
One of the thrusts of the book of James is
the principle that our lives will reflect what we really believe. They won’t reflect
what we say we believe – they will reflect what we really believe. Therefore, genuine
faith will always have an impact on our lives. Genuine faith will affect the
way we think, the way we speak, and the way we act.
Now, understand that faith doesn’t make the
same impact on each person in the same order, at the same speed, and to the
same extent. Each of us responds differently to what God is doing in our
hearts. So, my faith will look different from your faith through the course of
our Christian lives. Nevertheless, though we are affected differently, we will
both be changed by our faith.
That is not a principle that is isolated to
the book of James. Jesus made the same point, “For out of the overflow of the
heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) What is happening in our hearts will
make a difference in what comes out of our mouths.
So, take a look at your life -- your
thoughts, your speech, and your actions. How have they been changed by your relationship
with Jesus Christ? If they haven't been changed at all then you better take
another look at your relationship with Christ.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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