James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
As we traveled throughout the UK and Ireland, we visited many museums and one Middle Ages graveyard. More than once I was jarred by the realization that each individual who was featured on a plague, marble statue, or gravestone had their life summarized by a few words or at most a paragraph. The whole of a person’s life was pared down to a brief summary.
If I had to write my own obituary, what would I want it to say? How would I want to be briefly remembered? What sparse statement, posted on a plaque, would I want said of me? James tells us that our faith walk is truly nonexistent if it is no more than a verbal proclamation. He challenges us to back up our words with loving action! The old saying that “actions speak louder than words” is what James is driving home.
Words matter, but what we do tells our life’s story. Dear Lord, may our actions reflect the life and love of Jesus. May we quite literally feed the hungry, cloth those who have not, and advocate for those who are oppressed – as James challenges us in the verses above. Let our actions be a living testimony to our faith.
Blessings to all,
Diana
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