Submitted by Lara Cook
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17
Recently a man in our congregation was highlighted for going out of the way and doing something very special for someone. A thank you was posted on Facebook and someone made the comment,Oh that’s just Johnny being Jesus. When I read the comment I thought to myself, there is nothing greater to be said about a person than that others so easily see Jesus in your life.
The best thing about this story is that Johnny wasn’t doing anything different that day than he does any other day. He lives his life serving others and he doesn’t do if for himself. He is not a full-time pastor nor does he work in a church. He just has Jesus in his heart and his life reflects it. Everyone who knows him, knows this is true and sees the fulfillment of the fruit in his life. What do others see when they look at your life? Are you being Jesus in the world around you? Does your life reflect your relationship with Jesus and His commands? Is your life a living testimony? We know that works alone will not get us into heaven, but Paul also tells us that faith without works is dead. Being a believer is not a passive condition. It is living abundantly, filling ourselves with Christ and serving others out of the overflow. If we are doing all that, others will notice!
Jesus says in the scripture below that you can see God in a person based on their lives. He also says that if we have Him in our hearts, we will keep doing His work, the work He started when He was on earth. He has passed the baton and we are to run with it, serving and loving others the way He did. It doesn’t take surrendering to ministry full time but it does take surrendering your life every day to be Jesus to those around you.
Scripture to Claim:
Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing… John 14:12 MSG
Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing… John 14:12 MSG
