Daily Devotion, July 1, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read James 2:14-26.

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago we read our letter to the Ephesians and heard this from chapter two, verses eight and nine: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” Now James comes along with his letter, emphasizing works. Are these two points of emphasis mutually exclusive? Absolutely not. Our works (good deeds) are not what put us right with God. Our trust in God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ does that. But placing our trust/faith in God means we believe in the way of living and relating to other people and all of God’s creation that Jesus lived and taught us. If we don’t follow that way - if we don’t serve his mission - then we don’t really believe in him. It’s when we do the things he taught us to do that we show we truly believe in him. That’s what James is emphasizing. And he is right.

I am reminded of the prophets of the Old Testament. They emphasized that God would not let the people get away with just going through their worship rituals and singing their songs, while not treating people fairly, especially those most in need all around them (Read Amos 5:21-24 for a prime example.) 

Both in James and in the Old Testament prophets, we are reminded that our relationship with God is connected to our relationship with people. It is as if God says to us “If you don’t love them, don’t tell me you love me.”

Personal Worship Option:

Offer this prayer or one like it in your own words: Holy God, thank you for continuing to push us and challenge us to show our love to you by loving people all around us, especially those most in need. In the name of the One who showed us that love the best, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.