Key Verse: James 2:16-18
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? 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 my deeds.”
James reminds us here that our faith and our actions cannot exist separately, and that genuine faith will be denoted by real love, and that real love will always show itself in practical and compassionate ways. These acts of love and compassion aren’t the things that save us - only faith in Jesus can do that - but they are the genuine mark that we truly are saved and are living as followers of Christ. If we truly desire for our lives to mirror Jesus, we will eagerly and generously give our time, money and hearts to the broken, the poor and the needy. When we know that we are deeply cared and provided for, we become free to fearlessly give. Not out of compulsion or guilt, but from the overflow of a heart that has been filled with radical, unconditional love.
Pray and Respond:
If you were to fully live out of radical faith, how would your generosity and love for others be affected? What are some practical - yet sacrificial - ways that you can love others today?
Recall and thank God for the ways He has cared for you. Ask him to help you respond to the needs of those around you - locally and globally.
