James 2:14-18 — Love Acts(ually)

READ THIS: James 2:14-18

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
 
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

In short, James is saying love isn't a feeling; it's an action. Our faith in Jesus doesn't just change us on the inside and then stay there. It changes us on the inside and then has a clear difference on the outside, often shown through our love of God that overflows to love of people!

Remember yesterday how we spoke about treating people with mercy instead of judgement? Let's say you decided to have mercy on someone who was mean to you. Specifically, say some dude named Liam spits in your face...and then you spit in his face, but you tell people that you felt mercy toward Liam in your heart. Is that mercy? James would say no. If you truly had mercy in your heart for Liam, then you would not spit in his face because you would choose to "not give him what he deserves" (the definition of mercy from yesterday). The same thought process goes for faith and love. Our faith in Jesus changes how we act...because we act in/with/through His love instead of acting out of self-interest. If we say that we have faith in Jesus, but we act without His love, then that's not real faith...it's dead faith. When we are nudged by the Spirit to have mercy for others, to be loving, to act in a way that is SO opposite to the world, and then we actually DO it, then we have a faith that's alive. 


THINK ABOUT IT:

1. "I love him/her, but..." Have you ever said that and then launched into a massive rant about that person? Is that loving or not loving? (What are the arguments for both sides? Which side do you agree with more?)
 
2. When's the last time you acted in a way that showed your faith in Jesus? What was it like?

 
TRY THIS:

At some point today, you and/or someone around you is going to say the word "love." I dare you to keep a tally of the number of times you hear that word, and at the end of the day to do a jumping jack or sit-up or pushup or something along those lines for each time you heard the word. This is to remind you that LOVE is an ACTION, not a feeling, and our faith in Jesus shows up in real, action-y ways. 




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