August 18, 2015
James 2
Scripture:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Observation:
We teach what we know, but we reproduce who we are. Most spiritual leadership is about teaching and modeling the attitudes and actions of Christ. Don’t miss this, it’s not just about teaching; it’s also modeling or doing. There is no greater place for this to be evident than in the home. As a Spirit-Empowered man, a husband, and a father, I understand the importance of my faith being accompanied with action. Here are a few ways that I model my faith in our home for my three boys.
- I pray and read the Bible with my boys almost every night before bed to model the importance of spending time with Jesus.
- I put my wife, Mandy, first in our home and serve her to model sacrificial love and the importance of treating others right (especially family and their future wife).
- I pray with my boys in the moments of struggle to model the importance of depending on God.
- I study the scripture with my boys when they have questions about life to model the importance of God’s Word in their day-to-day activity.
- I include my boys in random acts of service as the opportunities arise to model the importance of community and service (whether we know them or not). This can be as simple as holding the door for others, picking up trash in a parking lot, or helping someone in a moment of need.
Because of what Christ has already done for me, I feel it is the appropriate response to show my faith by what I do (v. 18). There are innumerable ways to do this. I would love to hear some of the ways the Lord has used you to show your faith through your deeds. Join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mensministries.
Application:
- Personal Application: Be constantly watching for ways to show your faith through your actions. These sometime pop up when it’s least expected. If you are watching – you won’t miss it.
- Family Application: Talk to your family about ways you can intentionally show the love of Christ through your actions. Then schedule a time to do something (together) that turns your faith into action.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for the transparency needed to life out your faith.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that the actions of your family will be pleasing to God and represent Him at all times.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, August 16 – Sunday, August 23:
- Sunday, August 16: James 1
- Monday, August 17: James 2
- Tuesday, August 18: James 3
- Wednesday, August 19: James 4
- Thursday, August 20: James 5
- Friday, August 21: I Peter 1
- Saturday, August 22: I Peter 2
- Sunday, August 23: I Peter 3
TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
Do you like this devotional? Sign up here to have it emailed to you daily.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise marked, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblicia, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.
Fire Bible® elements including all Articles, the Bible Reading Plan, selected black and white maps and charts as noted, Book Introductions and outlines, color maps and the Color Map Index, footnotes, Study Notes, Subject Index, ThemefinderIndex are the property of Life Publishers International, Springfield, MO U.S.A. All rights reserved.