Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Big Daddy Weave singing a contemporary arrangement of the old hymn … Trust and Obey … powerfully shows the reality of real-deal Christian faith.
=============
Highlight Verse[s]: James 2:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
17 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.”
… If one can’t see our faith in our actions, our faith is a fraud.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: James 2:14-26 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul shows Christians that he, like all of us, struggles to break free from our sin nature.
=============
Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] …
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
… True discipleship - i.e., following Jesus - is faith in action.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] …
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. …”
… True discipleship - i.e., following Jesus - is faith in action.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … John 14:21 [NLT] …
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
… Faith is measured by obedience to God’s commands.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, used a word picture from the sculpturing of Michelangelo to illustrate that God’s Spirit is reshaping Christians into the image of Christ, setting us free from the image of sin. The ODB author wrote: As a friend drove to the grocery store, she noticed a woman walking along the side of the road and felt she should turn the car around and offer her a ride. When she did, she was saddened to hear that the woman didn’t have money for the bus so was walking home many miles in the hot and humid weather. Not only was she making the long journey home, but she had also walked several hours that morning to arrive at work by 4 a.m.
By offering a ride, my friend put into practice in a modern setting James’s instruction for Christians to live out their faith with their deeds: …
You may have heard it said; “Those who walk-the-walk, rather than those who talk-the-talk, are the REAL-DEAL Christians.”
Well, when it comes to the down-to-earth Christian faith described by James to the Church of his day and Christians of any day, that about says it all, doesn’t it? … If we can’t do what Jesus said (see Luke 9:23 and John 14:21) and get off our duffs and follow our Lord obediently, our faith is fraud.
So, if we truly trust and obey, as the song sings today, let’s walk-the-walk of our faith.
My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … I’m walking toward You, …with you, Lord! Shine Your light brightly on my path. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
No comments:
Post a Comment