Passage of the Day:
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, James 2:14-17.
Reflection:
The epistle known as one of the Catholic Letters, written to Christians scattered throughout the Middle East following Christian persecution, has always held a special place in my heart. My wife and I named our first son James as a way to honor this book of the Bible. Since I’ve never been a big reader, I enjoy shorter books that I can easily get through. While James 2 starts with the biblical view on favoritism, the second section of this chapter is devoted to faith and deeds. As the little brother of Jesus, James doesn’t hold back God’s view on faith. Perhaps, James is having a flashback to what Jesus said in Luke 11:23. Faith is either in action where you are gathering up heavenly blessings or your faith is dead as you lead others away from Jesus.
Prayerful Action:
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters,” Luke 11:23.
Fueling Your Faith this Spiritual Season:
My last baseball coach in high school played with members of the Big Red Machine in the minor leagues. No one in Cincinati likely remembers Coach Dillon as his playing days ended abruptly due to a career ending injury before being called up to the Cincinati Reds. While Coach Dillon never made it to the place he dreamed about, he coached every play hard, wanting each to reach their full potential. Every time I made a bad play, committed an error or made a mental mistake, Coach Dillon would get after each player so that this wouldn’t happen again. Perhaps, Jesus was so sick and tired of interacting with lukewarm Christians that he gave believers two options: gather or scatter. Put your faith in action by following after me, Matthew 16:24-27. This is what God desires.
Song of the Day:
Final Thoughts:
You Need to Know is one of my favorite songs from college. May the lyrics of this Bob Hanson song speak to your heart and inspire Christians to place their faith into action.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 