Devotionals

Faith

Introduction

Faith is a concept that is very important in Christianity. It can be easy to say one thing, but believe in something else. Our faith is between us and God. There are people that can strengthen our faith through biblical truths and helpful advice, but our faith is unique and dependent on us. If we feel that our faith is declining and want to change for the better, we must find the courage within ourselves to take steps to change. This devotional will help you to see that while faith is important, there is something else that goes along hand-in-hand with it.

I'd like to start off this devotional by mentioning that although I have done a devotional on trust before, this one about faith is different. Faith and trust can be very similar, but today I'm going to share with you a simple-to-understand but difficult-to-live-out idea that faith without deeds is dead. Let's look at the source of this idea which is in James 2:14-17.

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 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? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

This passage of Scripture tells us that it is not good enough to simply believe in God. We were made for more than to just have faith and believe. Before we go too far with this idea, let me clarify that we also aren't able to help out everyone we meet. There may be someone who comes up to you and asks for something that you simply aren't able to give them, whether it's money, a place to stay, etc. I understand that you and I can't meet every need we're faced with. What we can do, however, is try our hardest to do whatever we can whenever we can.

If you can't physically help someone out, pray for them. Take the time to at least sit down and ask God to send someone who can help them out. While I will quickly admit that I have not always done this in situations where I couldn't physically help out, I believe that it is better than doing nothing. The main point of this Scripture is to help out as often as you can. Don't spend the majority of your life claiming to be a Christian while you allow opportunities to help someone out pass you by, claiming that faith is enough. God offers forgiveness for our mistakes, yes, but that is a whole other devotional. Let's continue to read what James wrote.

"Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone... As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (‭‭James‬ ‭2:21-24, 26‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

This last part of the chapter recaps a story in the Old Testament where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac because the Lord told him to do so. While Abraham didn't realize that this was simply a test of faith, he was willing to sacrifice his son in order to demonstrate his obedience to God. God, of course, stopped Abraham from killing his son once He realized that Abraham was serious about his faith. You see, Abraham's faith wasn't just what he believed in, it included his actions as well.

I hope you've been able to see how faith is important but that it also isn't enough as well. Obeying God doesn't have to be something as dramatic as preparing to sacrifice someone you love, but it might require you to step out of your comfort zone. Be willing to put your faith into action if necessary and don't be afraid of telling others what God has done in your life. Maybe they'll come to have faith in Him too. As always, live out the Word and allow God to use you in mighty ways.