JamesShembull

After reading this passage, you might be thinking, “Hold on, I thought good deeds don’t get us to Heaven...” And you would be correct. We cannot earn our salvation by serving God. Refer to Ephesians 2:8, where Paul says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” He explicitly states that we are saved through faith alone. What James is saying, however, is that our good deeds are a reflection of our relationship with God. God is not wagging a finger in our face and saying, “You must serve me, otherwise you are not going to Heaven.” Rather, as a result of our love and faith in God, we naturally desire to do good things for Him and His Kingdom! In the same way that you buy your best friend a gift because you love them, your good works for God are an expression of the love and care that you already have for Him.

Also in this passage, James is arguing that true faith in God is not simply agreeing to a set of beliefs. In fact, the scripture argues that, “Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” True faith is actively and wholeheartedly walking in alignment with those beliefs. James gives us an example of this with Abraham. Abraham was shown to be right with God because he trusted God enough to willingly sacrifice his son on an altar, and he was counted as righteous because of this. Enter every situation you face today with this question in mind. Are my actions my way of being righteous before God or are they a response of my love for God?

Prayer points:

• Pray that God gives you fresh perspective on who He is and the unconditional love He has for you.
• Pray that your actions today would be a reflection of the overwhelming love that you have for God.
• Pray that God would develop within you a deeper trust in Him than ever before.