Heaven Sent
James 2:14 (NLT)
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if 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 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.
Recently at work, I was cleaning the toilets (fun, I know), and I quickly realised the previous person in there had left her handbag behind, so I picked it up and chased after her. When I returned the bag to the lady, I wasn’t greeted with just a 'thank you', but instead this simple, yet profound statement – ‘you are Heaven sent’.
That was it, I’d returned the bag, I’d made this lady's day, and on her way, she went. Yet her comment stayed with me, and I haven’t been able to shake it since.
The power of a passing comment, eh?
James makes it clear that being 'heaven sent', and standing out for Jesus, isn’t accomplished by a dead faith without good works, but is the result of the outworking of Christ in our lives, an overflow of his work within us. It’s our good deeds, actions and love for others that people notice.
Both today’s passage and yesterday's, remind us that the fruit and the work of the Spirit in our lives are deeply important. Later in chapter 2 James talks of ‘Abraham being right with God, by his actions’, and being a ‘friend of God’. Our faith and actions work together, in a partnership. It's only with both combined that people will see Jesus through us and we can begin to impact the environments we’re in, releasing the kingdom in the everyday.
Stop and pause this morning to ask God to show you if there are areas in your life you’ve neglected, where you’ve allowed your faith to become stagnant and dead? Listen for his voice and allow him to partner with you in bringing what’s dead back to life.
Prayer – Father, thank you that you work and stand with me. Thank you that you’re faithful, that, just as you did with Abraham, you call me friend. Help me today to activate my faith, to allow you to work in and through me.