James 2:14-20
"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well' - but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds.' But I say, 'How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.' You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless?"
This section of Scripture is such a blunt reminder that we can't just claim to be a Christ follower, we need to show it. It seems so easy to make excuses not to make our faith visible:
- Laziness
- Fear of rejection
- Too busy
- Lack of resources/finances
- Unaware of practical needs
- _________________ (you fill in the blank for yourself)
Instead of living in the land of many excuses we need to proactively look for the needs of people and compassionately do anything possible to help. This week at Uturn we're challenging students to get involved with an issue that is having a negative affect on humanity. Here's some of our ideas:
- Human Trafficking
- Substance Abuse
- Self-injury (cutting)
- Domestic Violence
- Homelessness
- Eating Disorders
- Teen Suicide
- Disaster Relief
- Divorce
- ________________ (fill in the blank with an issue you care about)
Now its not enough just to know that our world has problems; Christians need to be the first one's getting informed, pooling resources and out there doing something to bring the hope of God into hopeless situations.
Hopefully you'll take time this week to think about what humanity issue you're passionate about, identify what excuses you're making that stop you from getting involved and then brainstorm ways you can get out of your comfort zone and make a difference.
Cool Video:Check out this video of a lady from Eastside Foursquare Church that saw a need and got out of her comfort zone to show the love of God in real ways. Maggie Josiah's Video
