Daily Devotional for Saturday, August 6

Faith That Works

Something you see way too often on social media is this: someone posts an urgent prayer request, and immediately all the brief promises to pray and prayer emojis immediately start popping up. You must wonder how many of these are real, and how many are just empty platitudes. Even more, how many are followed up with real comfort or assistance. How many people promise to pray and never even think again about the request that was made? This is a very sad situation. 

James tells you twice in his epistle that faith not accompanied by works is dead. His entire book tries to teach you that faith that does not act may not be real faith at all. It may be just empty platitudes. The verse above illustrates this point well. If a needful one shows up at your door, and you send him away with your promise to pray over him, what has this really accomplished? What if you are the answer to another person’s prayer, and you just send him along empty? Then, nothing was accomplished at all! 

The writer of Hebrews makes this same point in chapter 11. The Old Testament saints did more than just mouth words of belief. They acted on their faith; their faith was proven and substantiated by the things they did. They believed in the promise of the Messiah. Is that you? Do you allow the reality of the appearance of the Messiah, and His salvation for you to propel you into action? Or are you full of empty platitudes?

JUST A THOUGHT: If your faith is empty, with no action behind it, how will others know it is real? Why should they come to want what you have?

Wally Fry