James 2 NASB
Faith and Works 14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Let's start with verse 19. "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder". Do you believe in God? So does Satan and the demons. Does believing in God make you a Christian? Satan and the demons believe yet they are not Christians. Being a Christian must be more then just believing in God.
Jesus said in John 13: 35 "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
So how do we show that love? In our actions. Not just being kind and nice to people but giving of ourselves. Jesus wants us to sacrifice our time, our talents, and our resources. He sacrificed His life for us and wants us to make sacrifices in His name. That's works, that's the fruit we bare when we have a relationship with Jesus. When we are filled with His love it naturally overflows from us and is shared with others.
What will you do for Him today? If you call yourself a Christian, if you have faith, isn't it time to do something?
Blessings, Cecilia
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Read with us through the bible, God speaks to us through His word, deepens our faith and beliefs. What will God say to you? Read and find His comfort today! Stanford Sanctuary gets it name from a sign my mother had hanging on a wilderness cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a place that gave us peace. Blessings, The Stanford's
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