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. James 2:14-17
Faith is the confidence that what
we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot
see. Hebrews 11:1
We can’t
see God—but if we have faith in Him—our life changes. We have hope for eternity
with Him. We believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead—and one
day, we will be resurrected to live with Him forever. That is the basis for
Christianity. Hope. That hope begins the day a person opens their heart to
believe in Jesus. We don’t have to wait for the day that we die or the glorious
day that we are resurrected. Our eternal life begins when we step out in faith—either
literally or figuratively—and trust God for His promises.
That day is also the day when we
begin to serve Jesus Christ. Faith without works—service—is dead. Service or
works isn’t going to get a person into heaven, but if someone loves the Lord
Jesus Christ, they will want to serve Him by serving others. Look at Christians
around you. You’ll know them by their love, which is shown by serving others. Actions speak louder than words.
How about you? Do you have faith in
Jesus Christ…and do you want to serve Him? Stretch out your arms. Serve Him—even
if it is only to smile at other people—and show your love and acceptance. Can
you do that?
Meditate.
Consider faith in scripture.
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, forgive me for being self-centered and not noticing others, for
not sharing a smile and serving others for You with the love and compassion
that You showed those with whom You walked and talked. Seeking happiness is not
what life is all about. Serving others—showing Your love by our actions is important.
Thank you for that revelation.
Verse
of Salvation ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by
his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ
from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless
inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,
beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting
you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be
revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
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