June 29th, 2017 - Bible Inspiration of the Day
Good afternoon!
I hope you are all having a good, blessed day so far. I believe as humans believing in the risen Savior Jesus Christ, it is nearly impossible to seek the Lord 24/7. This is because we are all not nearly perfect. We will stumble. We will face trials and tribulations that make us turn from God.
Based on my personal walk with the Lord, I usually face my idleness in Christ on a daily basis around the afternoon on weekdays. I find my quiet time around the morning and afternoon the optimal period of my worship.
A big disclaimer though: this does not mean that at 1 PM everyday, I am running around choosing to sin and fall into my fleshly desires. This simply means that it is a weaker area of my day where I do not feel as inclined to worship, based on personal reflection of my faith.
Possible reasons: Fatigue from a good morning? Work? Worldly temptations? These are all justifiable candidates.
Second disclaimer: Worship is not limited to reading Scripture, prayer, and singing hymns. With the work of the Holy Spirit, and a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, ALL facets of our life can be lived out in our worship. James 2 explains the coherent nature of faith and works, a phenomenon that is extremely coherent with worship, and is today's scripture reading and devotional.
This really speaks to me personally with my walk, encouraging me to be honest with myself. Am I really fruitful IN faith? Or am I doing my good works for another selfish reason? Vice versa, where is my faith truly in? Is it in Jesus' pure and majestic grace? Or is it based on myself/my capabilities and strengths? May these be questions that you can truly ponder on yourself.
Scripture Reading
James 2:14-26
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Devotional
Today's devotional is taken from Our Daily Bread. They will be credited in the sources below!
As a friend drove to the grocery store, she noticed a woman walking along the side of the road and felt she should turn the car around and offer her a ride. When she did, she was saddened to hear that the woman didn’t have money for the bus so was walking home many miles in the hot and humid weather. Not only was she making the long journey home, but she had also walked several hours that morning to arrive at work by 4 a.m.
By offering a ride, my friend put into practice in a modern setting James’s instruction for Christians to live out their faith with their deeds: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (v. 17). He was concerned that the church take care of the widows and the orphans (James 1:27), and he also wanted them to rely not on empty words but to act on their faith with deeds of love.
We are saved by faith, not works, but we live out our faith by loving others and caring for their needs. May we, like my friend who offered the ride, keep our eyes open for those who might need our help as we walk together in this journey of life.
Lord Jesus Christ, You did the ultimate deed by dying on the cross for me. May I never forget the sacrifice that gives me life.
We live out our faith through our good deeds.
Good works are the byproduct of our faith. James deals with the evidence essential to show the world that our faith is genuine. He wrote, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds” (2:18). Authentic trust in God will always manifest itself in loving and caring for others. How can you demonstrate your faith in Christ to someone today?
Discussion & Conclusion
I firmly believe in the James 2:26, explaining faith without deeds is dead. Things got interesting recently, making me think about this a bit deeper. A friend of mine at my old church were discussing this topic last Friday night during our basketball session at a nearby Recreation Center.
One of the interesting comments he mentioned was that faith practiced privately is still fruitful faith in Jesus. He went over a historical study mentioning how Roman leaders - or other nations oppressing the Christian faith - had people who saw or heard about Jesus' life and believed - but in secret. Publicly they would go about their normal activities (which do not contradict the fruit of their faith), and only in private do they worship fervently and unceasingly. It's an interesting discussion indeed. Are secret acts of faith still considered deeds in front of our Supreme God? He is indeed Sovereign/All-Knowing. Or do all deeds have to be seen by others to be considered deeds?
Do I believe what my friend claimed 100%? No, but to an extent, I do. I believe our faith should be lived out at all times, 24/7/365. We cannot be lukewarm Christians, who only worship one day a week, during worship service where everyone can see us singing, listening, and conversing with other believers.
In the same breath, what does deed mean anyways? Deed is putting our faith in action. Being fruitful in and through the Spirit. I believe even if you are in a position where you cannot show your faith, your diction, the way you treat others, the way you go about work, can all bear the image of Christ through that alone.
So, may I encourage ALL of us to submit our lives to Christ. We ourselves may feel that our works cannot magnify His glory; but, who are we to question the work of our Sovereign, Most High God? He will use any means to bring Himself Glory! May we never cease to reflect our Lord, being Salt and Light in the dark places of this world. Finally, let also act on our faith. If Jesus really did conquer death, it is something to be joyful about, something worth sharing, and yes, something worth living/dying for.
