Celebrating life with God
So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead. But someone will say, ‘One person has faith, another has actions’. My answer is, ‘Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.’ (verses 17, 18)
Read James 2:14-26
You may have joined in the song sung at birthday celebrations: ‘Why was he born so beautiful, why was he born at all? Because he had no say in it, no say in it at all!’ This song is sung in fun, but it makes the serious point that the life each one of us enjoys comes to us as a gift. In fact, at birthday celebrations we rejoice in this gift of life: we eat and sing and laugh and talk.
The point St James is making in the reading is this: none of us choose to have spiritual life from God – God gives us the gift of faith. But just as it’s difficult to imagine being physically alive without eating and laughing and talking and thinking, so it’s difficult to imagine being spiritually alive without praying and loving and serving and hoping.
God has given you faith in the Lord Jesus. You are free to celebrate this spiritual life with all your heart!
Father, thank you for giving me the gift of faith. Give me wisdom so that I will always serve you with my whole heart. Amen.
By Fraser Pearce, in “God’s Promises for each day” (LCA, Openbook Publishers (1999)
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