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Topic: Prove Your Faith
[DCLM Daily Manna 9 June 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: James 2:10-26
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Key Verse: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
MESSAGE:
It is all too easy to seek to extol our personal virtues, flaunt our spiritual gifts and make ourselves look better than other people. Whereas, this may impress men, it accounts for little or nothing before God. What matters to Him is the result of whatever spiritual experiences we claim to possess.
Apostle James understood this point when he stressed that believers must not strive for half measures. They either obey all the laws or they fail in all. Their words must match their actions. In the same vein, he said if they profess to possess faith, it can only show by their good works. It is no use telling someone in need who came to you for help, that God will bless him. Without giving him an assistance, such fine words amount to nothing.
Faith is reinforced by works, as in the case with Abraham. He believed God to the point of almost sacrificing his only son, Isaac, as God commanded. That singular action was what marked him out as a man of faith. Rahab the harlot, too, was commended for backing up her faith in the God of Israel with action.
We must never be contented with simply proclaiming how great a faith we have. Rather, we should allow the actions that are influenced by our faith to speak the loudest. We must make ourselves part of God’s answer to other people’s prayers by rendering assistance to them. If we love and obey God, we must never withhold anything He demands from us, no matter how precious. This is the only way to prove that we have faith.
Thought For The Day: “Faith without works is dead.”
The Bible In One Year: 2 Samuel 13-14
