What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? James 2:14
Words are the lifeblood of our daily existence. Words express our emotions and desires. Without words there would be no civilization, no community, no business.
Words also make our religious life possible. God's Word tells us of salvation in Jesus Christ. We respond by confessing our faith in Him. But words are not enough. When we deal with others, God demands concrete actions, not just pious expressions from our mouths.
We cannot do anything directly for God. God has everything -- all the riches of the universe. He has no need for anything we might offer to Him. We can, however, do something directly for others. In our relationships we must not only say that we love our neighbor but also do things that help him. Our good sentiments must be followed by real assistance.
Without good works flowing from faith, faith would be useless. Christians are concerned about feeding and clothing the poor, especially fellow Christians -- because of their love for Christ, who died to make them His own that they might serve Him.
PRAYER: Lord, give me a faith that is always ready to help others, not in order to be saved, but because I am saved; in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Kings 17-18 Galatians 4
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