Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
– James 2:14-19
Devotion
In these verses, James shows that God tests faith by good works. In Galatians, we learned that a person is not saved by the works or the deeds of the law. How then are we going to reconcile Paul and James? Paul writes that saving faith—a faith that is genuine and real—will transform a person’s life (new creation). James is not talking about the works of the law regarding being saved. He is simply communicating that the faith which saves you will produce works, works of faith. The faith that James is talking about here is professing faith, that which is phony and counterfeit. Paul and James are in perfect harmony in their teaching. Saving faith, therefore, is alive; professing faith is dead. When we understand how Paul and James use the words faith and works, we can see that they are in total agreement. So James deals with the identification of faith. Saving faith can be recognized and identified by certain spiritual fingerprints. Living faith, saving faith produces works that align with the life of Jesus.
The Big Question
Is your faith evident by the way in which you live out your life? Is what you profess consistent with what you do? Are the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) evident in your life? As the Holy Spirit transforms your life, are your actions in alignment with the life of Jesus we see in the Gospels?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.