Daily Devotional For Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Read James 2:15-18:

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good2 is that? (17) So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.(18) Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds” (NLT). 

One of the ways spouses show they love each other is seen in how they treat each other in public and in private. A spouse who claims they love their spouse, but they abuse them emotionally or physically or psychologically or spiritually, does not love that spouse. The same is true with how parents treat their children or friends treat each other. 

The proof is in their attitudes and actions. One of the ways we understand biblical characters is by studying their lives in their context. By context, I means geography, topography, customs, culture, politics, and religious influences. Understanding the context in which they lived helps us understand why they did what they did or said what they said. And for the disciples, we see a totally different group of men prior to the Resurrection than after it. At the crucifixion, they ran for cover. They went back to their jobs because they believed Jesus was dead and it was all over. After the Resurrection, they are on fire to share the Gospel. They write Gospels and Epistles and are even martyred for their faith.

Many Christians today do not talk about their faith in Christ at the work place, their schools, with their neighbors, at the supermarket and etc. They have a theoretical and hypothetical faith rather than a exegetical faith. By exegetical, I mean a faith based and grounded on the Word of God. Their hypothetical and theoretical faith is contingent upon their environment — who is around and where they are. They change with the shifting winds of culture. 

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (NLT). A godly and biblical faith without works, especially compassion towards a fellow believer, means you have no faith at all. Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:

“The story is told of a European queen several centuries ago who left her coachman sitting outside during the winter while she attended the theater. The drama was so heart wrenching that the queen sobbed throughout the entire performance. But when she returned to the carriage and discovered the coachman had frozen to death, she did not shed a tear! She was deeply moved by a fictional tragedy but completely untouched by a real one with which she was directly involved and for which she was even directly responsible.

It is amazing that so many people can become emotionally involved in a movie, play, popular song, or TV program, weeping over tragedies and becoming incensed at wrongs and injustices, and yet show no concern or compassion for the plight of a neighbor or acquaintance who is in real need. In our artificial, self-centered world, fantasy often becomes more meaningful than reality.

How utterly different from that was believers’ reaction to the need of fellow saints in Jerusalem just after Pentecost. Those new Christians spontaneously “began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need” (Acts 2:45). “A short while later the same selfless spirit was evident. Look what happened right after Pentecost in Acts 4:32-35, how the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and sit was distributed to each as any had need” (ESV).” Source: (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “James,” p. 127).

Jesus often came down hard on His disciples about how their faith must have demonstrative and visible deeds to others, and especially to other believers. For example, in the Story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), Jesus made it clear they were to help anyone in need — a friend, a perfect stranger,  someone they had been raised to be prejudiced against, and etc. Jesus made it clear that it is our personal responsibility to make sure that person’s need is met. 

And in case we missed it or did not get it the first time, Jesus made it clear that our obligation to help someone else was directly serving Him. And not to help and serve them is to forsake Him personally. In fact, on the Day of Judgement we will be rewarded accordingly. Jesus used a parable about separating sheep from goats to make this point. Take your Bible and read Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31-45.

The Bible, Jesus and James are clear: faith without deeds is a dead faith — no ifs, ands or buts about it. Living out what we claim is crucial to authenticating our faith and winning others to Christ. Bill Hilllman, learned this lesson the hard way:

Every year revelers from around the world head to Pamplona, Spain to take part in the running of the bulls glorified by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. The festival, a heady nine-day mix of partying and adrenaline-chasing, draws hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to Pamplona, a city of around 300,000. Fifteen people have been killed in the bull-runs since records began in 1911. The most recent death occurred five years ago when a Spanish man was gored.

Bill Hillman, a 32-year-old Chicago-based journalist, is an expert on the event. He even co-authored a book subtitled "How to survive the bulls of Pamplona." But on July 3, 2014, just knowing about bull running, even knowing enough to write an instruction manual on bull running, wasn't enough. A 1,320 pound fighting bull named Brevito lagged behind the pack just before entering the city's bull ring at the end of a rain-slicked run in the annual festival. At the opportune time, Brevito gored Hillman in the right thigh and a 35-year-old Spanish man in the chest. Both men recovered, but the co-author of Hillman's book told The New York Times, "We will probably need to update the book” (Source: The West Australian, "Straggling bull gores Pamplona survival guide author" (7-9-14).

If you are going to be bullish, write about running with the bulls and run with the bulls, you better make sure your bullishness isn’t out done by another bull. The Bible affirms that faith without works is dead and no amount of spiritual CPR can bring life back to it. The only way it can come alive once it is dead, is consistent obedience to Jesus Christ. One way I would say to see faith and works is to imagine faith is your right foot and works is your left foot. It is impossible to walk on one foot, but it is a whole lot easier to walk with balance on two feet rather than one.

Questions To Consider

1. What is the toughest part of having a balance between faith and works for you personally?
2. Do you ever feel that your faith and works are out of sync? If so, when and why?
3. Prior to the Resurrection, the disciples were fickle, half-hearted, argumentative, braggadocio, self-centered, and self-focused. After the Resurrection, they are night and day — a complete 180. Instead of arguing about who would be first in Jesus’ kingdom, they begin putting themselves last and others first. Why? Does this describe you? Why or why not?
4. Do you tend to walk by faith and not by sight OR do you walk by sight and not by faith? Explain.
5. James makes the case that having compassion for another believer especially so that you make sure their basic needs are met is evidence you are saved. What do you think and is this you?
6. Read Luke 10:30-37 in your Bible. Jesus says having a faith that motivates you to do good works for even a stranger, an enemy demonstrates faith. How?
7. Read Matthew 25:31-45 in your Bible. Jesus makes a comparison to teach how faith and works go hand-in-hand. Which of these 2 groups would Jesus most likely put you in and why?

Scripture to Meditate On: James 2:14, 20,  “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (20) Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I want to live a life where my works are in sync with my faith. I do not want a dead faith, but a thriving one. God, please give me boldness so that my faith is lived out before others to see it and experience it. Jesus, a faith unproven by life experience will not allow us to grow spiritually, and a faith undemonstrated by deeds will not do much to influence the world. Jesus, in the cultural context I live, help me to walk in faith and with works that influences others for the Gospel and brings You glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! — Pastor Kelly