Thought for the week from Tim
James 2:21-26:
Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
As Christians we need to put our faith into action. Jesus didn’t die for us just to go to Church on Sunday. He gave us a mission, that is to show the kingdom of God wherever we go. He wants us to live out our faith, not just in our thoughts, but in our deeds as well. This passage tells us that we are shown to be right by God by our actions. Our faith is dead without good works. I think it is great that the prostitute Rahab was said to be right with God. She showed faith. She probably thought of herself as unclean, as being at the bottom of the heap. But God says that Rahab was right with Him because of her faith. Someone we may have looked down on. Made right with God because she believed and put that belief into action.
As we go to the supermarket or out for a meal, are we praying “Lord I ask that this may be an opportunity to share your love and speak out for you”? I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I have had the opportunity to speak out for Him but I have not, and still regret it to this day. Let’s not let Father God down. As a little boy and even as an adult, I wanted my father to be proud of me. And the great thing is, I know he was. But even more we should want to make our heavenly Father proud of us by how we behave, by the good that we do.
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