Faith
James 2:14-17 NLT, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
When I look around me, I see devastation and hopelessness, like everyone is tired, worn out, and giving up. That isn’t where God wants us to be! We read the word of God and say “yes I know that’s what the Bible says,” but do we really believe it? Do we really live it?
For example, the Bible says that if we come to God with a sincere and repentant heart, he is quick to forgive us our sins and they are thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. If one reads this but chooses to live in shame and regret, and continuous sin, one holds onto a life of torment, there is no faith and there is no action. It’s like one is dismissing God and His love and His power and His authority.
Anyone can read the word of God but a true believer has faith and shows it by their actions. James 2:19 NLT says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?”
What I’m trying to say is this, you can believe what the Bible says but are you walking in it? Do you truly believe you are forgiven? Are you walking in that forgiveness?
Sometimes, one allows the pain from their sins and or unforgiveness to define them because it’s familiar. That’s what one has become used to. My dear brother and sister, this is not where God wants you to dwell! Romans 14:17 NLT says, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Our inheritance is love joy and peace in the Holy Spirit! James 2:26 NLT says, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.”
I want to remind us that God is a God of the living, not the dead! He tells us that we are alive in Christ! Ephesians 2:1-5 NLT, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the power in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
Brothers and sisters, let us not just speak our faith but live our faith! Let us seek forgiveness, find forgiveness and give forgiveness! Let us seek healing through God and find healing in God! Let us seek hope and find hope! Let us seek joy and find joy! When we find it, continue to live it, trusting God and believing in God always! Matthew 7:7-9 NLT, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?”
©2022 Leslie Wittenmyer—all rights reserved