S – Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. James 2:21-23
O – James continues his talks about being hearers and doers of the Word into talking about faith and works. Abraham had faith in God, believed Him and trusted Him; because of his faith, Abraham obeyed God by doing what God had commanded him to do…sacrifice his son. Abraham’s works or actions were a result of his faith in God
A – In the same way as Abraham, I need/want to be obedient to God as an outpouring of my faith. No matter the cost or the sacrifice, living out faith is doing what God says. I believe God,therefore I "do".
P – Pray that I would always be mindful of living out faith with actions, not just talking about it but doing it.
Showing posts with label James 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James 2. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Amber- James 2
S-James 2:14-17 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily
foods, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."
O-Faith and Works can be a hot topic! One thing we do know from the these verses is that faith without works is useless. I like how the author gives a very specific example about someone who is needy. It's interesting because when I lived in Texas I did not face people begging as much as I seem to here. I have encountered many people in parking lots begging here.
Without going into the controversy of faith and works, we know that if we truly are believers there must be fruit in our lives. If there are no works to back up our faith, it's just lip service.
A- I have always been a rather merciful person. Perhaps that's why I have been drawn to the elderly and downtrodden. I deal with benevolence requests weekly in my work. They have made a policy lately that I do not agree with, but must follow. I'll just say it does make my job easier, but I'm not confident it's what the Lord has called us to. I have learned a little more about dealing with those in need, but sometimes it's much easier to send them on their way. Sometimes I think if I get involved in this it will take more time than I have and could be an ongoing messy situation. But the Lord has been speaking to me for lately that if I truly want to be His servant it will be messy sometimes and it will cost me time and energy.
Which leads me into faith and works...Along the same lines as yesterday. I know I have faith and I know works do not save me. There must be a point of conversion, but our salvation experience is truly a journey of sanctification. We must have fruit in our life because ours is a living faith.
P- Pray that I will have discernment in situations concerning the needy and feel the Lords prompting in situations where I need to get involved.
Pray that my life will be one of faith and works as evidence of my salvation as I'm on this journey of sanctification.
Praying blessings on you girls today!
foods, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."
O-Faith and Works can be a hot topic! One thing we do know from the these verses is that faith without works is useless. I like how the author gives a very specific example about someone who is needy. It's interesting because when I lived in Texas I did not face people begging as much as I seem to here. I have encountered many people in parking lots begging here.
Without going into the controversy of faith and works, we know that if we truly are believers there must be fruit in our lives. If there are no works to back up our faith, it's just lip service.
A- I have always been a rather merciful person. Perhaps that's why I have been drawn to the elderly and downtrodden. I deal with benevolence requests weekly in my work. They have made a policy lately that I do not agree with, but must follow. I'll just say it does make my job easier, but I'm not confident it's what the Lord has called us to. I have learned a little more about dealing with those in need, but sometimes it's much easier to send them on their way. Sometimes I think if I get involved in this it will take more time than I have and could be an ongoing messy situation. But the Lord has been speaking to me for lately that if I truly want to be His servant it will be messy sometimes and it will cost me time and energy.
Which leads me into faith and works...Along the same lines as yesterday. I know I have faith and I know works do not save me. There must be a point of conversion, but our salvation experience is truly a journey of sanctification. We must have fruit in our life because ours is a living faith.
P- Pray that I will have discernment in situations concerning the needy and feel the Lords prompting in situations where I need to get involved.
Pray that my life will be one of faith and works as evidence of my salvation as I'm on this journey of sanctification.
Praying blessings on you girls today!
Karlyn - James 2
S- v. 10 NLT, For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws.
v. 13, There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
v. 22, You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith COMPLETE.
O- I tend to still compare my sins to others and play the "but mine aren't as bad as theirs" game. In the past 6 months I've asked God to open my eyes to ALL my sin because I've let so much just hide in the background. If you ever do that be prepared because it gets very scary. You realize just how sinful you are and you're aren't as much of a "good" Christian as you thought. The hard thing is when he begins pointing all of it out to you, the accountability begins and you have to make the decision am I going to obey or willfully keep sinning.
Verse 22 strikes a chord with me because we've been praying for our church body for a long time now to see how much we need to ACT and not just show up on Sunday morning. In the past year we've seen a lot of individual growth but we still have a long way to go.
A- I've got to continue to be aware that my sin is just as bad as my neighbor who denies there is a God. The only difference, I've accepted forgiveness. Instead of judging others for their sins and hiding mine, I need to be more open about where I fail so that I can relate to people who aren't Christians and build a relationship with them (FAITH + ACTION) and draw them to Christ. Being complete sounds really good!
P- Jenifer's prayer for being REAL is definitely relevant for me too. That's why so many people in our community don't want to come to church because they say we aren't real and genuine. I also need to continue to see sin for what it is and be willing to obey and get rid of it.
Please pray for my niece Holly's salvation. There are days I don't know how to keep praying for her.
Have a great Tuesday! Love you.
-K
v. 13, There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
v. 22, You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith COMPLETE.
O- I tend to still compare my sins to others and play the "but mine aren't as bad as theirs" game. In the past 6 months I've asked God to open my eyes to ALL my sin because I've let so much just hide in the background. If you ever do that be prepared because it gets very scary. You realize just how sinful you are and you're aren't as much of a "good" Christian as you thought. The hard thing is when he begins pointing all of it out to you, the accountability begins and you have to make the decision am I going to obey or willfully keep sinning.
Verse 22 strikes a chord with me because we've been praying for our church body for a long time now to see how much we need to ACT and not just show up on Sunday morning. In the past year we've seen a lot of individual growth but we still have a long way to go.
A- I've got to continue to be aware that my sin is just as bad as my neighbor who denies there is a God. The only difference, I've accepted forgiveness. Instead of judging others for their sins and hiding mine, I need to be more open about where I fail so that I can relate to people who aren't Christians and build a relationship with them (FAITH + ACTION) and draw them to Christ. Being complete sounds really good!
P- Jenifer's prayer for being REAL is definitely relevant for me too. That's why so many people in our community don't want to come to church because they say we aren't real and genuine. I also need to continue to see sin for what it is and be willing to obey and get rid of it.
Please pray for my niece Holly's salvation. There are days I don't know how to keep praying for her.
Have a great Tuesday! Love you.
-K
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