James 2:14-17 

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.

No Complaint

Have you ever complained against your boss? It’s expected for employees to complain against their boss. Someone confidently claimed, “I have never complained against any boss.” A curious listener asked, “So, why won’t you complain?” “Well, I am my boss. I’m self-employed.” And, that’s a great idea to avoid complaining.

Many years ago, a new believer had considered resigning from her job because her boss was very harsh to her, but she was also very hesitant to quit her job because she really liked her job and received above average salary. She asked for prayer from other believers. One believer advised her not to quit, just yet; he advised her to pray for her boss to be promoted and transferred to a better position instead.

After a week, her boss was promoted and transferred to another department. Answered prayer, right? But, it’s not very amusing turn of event for her because before her former boss was promoted and transferred to another department, she quit her job and applied in another company and started as an employee with minimum wage.

Have you heard of individuals who claim to have faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior but when it comes to practical problem, they cannot trust Christ to save them?

Friends: Do you believe that Christ had saved you from eternal punishment? Did you receive the gift of eternal life? Can you personally believe without any hint of doubt that Christ can easily save you from undesirable predicaments?

Let’s reflect on this: If Christ has the power to give us eternal life, he can easily help us live life to its fullness. If Christ has the power to save us from hell or eternal death, he can easily save us from any problem. What concern is worse than death that Christ can’t save us from?

1. Save

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

What is it that we believe when we say that, we have faith in Christ as our Savior?

Today, we recall that Jesus Christ was tortured, crucified, buried and resurrected. The torture he endured was divine requirement of necessary punishment for our sins in the past, present and future. Jesus was tortured in our place. Can you believe that?

When Jesus died on the cross, the Lord took all our sins, iniquities, rebellion, transgression, guilt, faults and anything that causes uncleanness before God and nailed them on the cross with Christ. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross washed away sins; all believers who have faith in Christ become clean and perfect before God.

When Christ was buried, our sins that were crucified with him were also buried with him. The sins that the Lord took from us, crucified and buried with Christ cannot control us anymore. And so, we are freed from the slavery of sin. Can you believe that?

The name “Jesus” means “Yahweh saves.” “Christ” means “Messiah,” “Savior.”Jesus Christ is Saviour who saves all his believers.

When Christ resurrected from the dead, he returned to heaven and prepares a place for each believer; he will return to take us into his heaven. Can you believe that?

Check yourself now! Pray sincerely for increase of faith if you sense a little hint of doubt: that Jesus Christ was tortured in your place; that Christ was crucified with your sins; that the blood of Christ shed on the cross washed your sins away; that Christ died and was buried with the sins that the Lord took from you; that Christ returned to heaven and prepares a place for you and; that he will return to take you into his heaven.

Shall we pause for a moment and personally thank Jesus Christ for his sacrifice on the cross?

Here’s an advice! Copy and memorize those things we believe in Christ as Savior so that you can literally explain to others what you believe in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Until you still sense just a little hint of doubt that you really are eternally saved, keep praying for increase of faith until you sense glorious joy and peace. Joy and peace from God practically help us know and have confidence that the Holy Spirit of Christ lives in us as our guarantee that we have truly accepted Christ as our Savior.

Apostle Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, ²¹Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²²set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Friends: Don’t try to deceive yourself by claiming that you have faith in Christ. How can you make sure that you have active saving faith in Christ? Deeds are practical proof of faith. What kind of deeds are products of saving faith in Jesus Christ as Savior?

Deeds produced by the Holy Spirit of Christ are practical proof that we really are saved. When Christ’s Spirit produces good fruits in our life, it is when Christ reigns as Lord in us. If you are not very sure yet, actively participate in church ministries until you personally discover how God wants you to specifically practice faith in him. We need to be observant of our mindset, decisions, and attitude – if we are transformed from worldly lifestyle to new godly lifestyle. If you cannot sense and observe concrete transformation in your life, pray earnestly to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.

Pray that Christ will reign as Lord and master of your life.

Spring

Spring will surely come in few more weeks. Many of you are excited to plant their favorite flowers, vegetables, bushes or trees. When planting from seed, it needed to be buried and die. Unless the seed is buried and die, it won’t sprout into new plant.

Similarly, we have to die to our sinful worldly self before we can have new life.

How can we die to our old self? By faith, we believe that our sins were crucified with Jesus Christ so that our worldly self died and buried with Jesus Christ. And by faith, we believe that the Lord sent the Holy Spirit of Christ into heart as guarantee that we have been resurrected to new life in Jesus Christ; and when he returns, he will take us into his heaven and live with him for all eternity.

We’ve got to personally experience the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, why?

When Christ reigns as Lord in us, he empowers us; his Holy Spirit produces fruit in our life when he empowers us. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is practical proof that we actually receive in our heart the Holy Spirit of God and that we trust Christ as our Lord.

It is when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit that we can have love, joy, peace, patience and spontaneously be kind and good to others. If there’s a little bit of resistance or hesitation of helping others, pray to be filled and empowered by the Lord. We should not suppose that we have to be good and kind to others on our own effort.

2. Suppose

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? 

You may have observed critics against Christians, especially, on social media. Observers expect Christians to act like Jesus Christ. Truly, Jesus Christ had exemplified how Christians should live as children of God and citizens of heaven. And, many believers are pressured and tried their best effort to be good and kind to others.

Yet, consistency of kindness and goodness is absent, why? They fail to wait for empowerment of the Holy Spirit. They just jump in and act according to expectations.

Friends: The Lord Jesus has clearly advised us to wait until we receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to us; the result would be spontaneous goodness and kindness to others and not trying to force the issue or just to show others that we are Christians.

Being so, when we testify of transformed lifestyle, Christ should be glorified in us as our Lord. So, keep praying, “Lord Jesus, please fill and empower me with your Holy Spirit.”

Yes! Keep praying until you practically sense empowerment for the Lord!

At workplaces, school, grocery stores, park or anywhere we go, there will always be opportunities for us to test if we can be good in our action or we can speak kind words to others spontaneously. If our lifestyle, manner,  and attitude result to praises and gratitude to the Lord, we know that the Holy Spirit is actively at work in our life.

It says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. When Christ is Lord in our life, good and beautiful things happens in our life.

Neighborhood

There’s an older adult who is often busy doing something in the neighborhood. During winter, he shovels snow and removes ice on pathways. In spring, he tends yards and gardens. During summer, he cuts grasses, trims trees, and picks up garbage on the ground. In autumn, he prepares the soil for spring planting and rakes fallen leaves.

His activities all year long include front yard maintenance in the neighborhood.

Anyone who observes him busy doing something good in the neighborhood may wonder if the man is paid to clean and maintain front yards and pathways of others. Paid or just volunteer work, he is doing a remarkable job consistently all year long.

If he is not paid for maintaining cleanliness in his neighborhood, his consistency exemplified a virtue that Christians should poses at workplaces or neighborhood.

When Christ performs his lordship in our life, we become faithful and consistent. Consistency is Christian virtue. It says in Colossians 3:12-17, ¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The celebration of the resurrection of Christ reminds us of his promise to return and take us into his heaven. Are you excited to meet our Savior, if he returns today?

Make sure that you have faith in Christ. Make sure that your faith is active and not idle. Active faith helps us to earn eternal treasures in heaven. When the Holy Spirit of Christ is active in us, he clothes us with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Those virtues synchronize with faith will earn us eternal treasure.

3. Synchronize

¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

When faith is genuine and active, it synchronizes with good work. Faith and good work are inseparable twins. Active faith is manifested practically in good work. Faith without good work is dead and useless. Active faith produces faithfulness. Another term for faithfulness is consistency. Active faith results to consistent good work and lifestyle.

To have faith in Christ is exhibited when we allow Christ to empower us so that our lifestyle may produce goodness and kindness to others.

Online Video

A video posted online presented a shirtless person with towel wrap around his waist. He was about to step dip into a bathtub when suddenly, a woman with a grinder cut the bathtub in two pieces, put glue, screws, steel, bricks, concrete and paint it. It turns out as pizza oven. At the end of the video, the presenters cook pizza and eat it.

Can you imagine such creative way to make pizza oven? Nice video, right?

The video was made for just online show to attract viewers and subscribers.

The producer of the video destroyed a bathtub to build the concrete pizza oven. They crushed ceramic tiles into small pieces to decorate the outer part of the concrete pizza oven. And, they assembled the concrete pizza oven in the middle of drive way right in front of a garage attached to a nice house. Think about that inconvenience! The concrete pizza oven in the middle of the drive way blocked the garage door.

A lot of time, effort and resources are wasted, right? But, if the video garners or attracts millions of viewers or subscribers, the producers have profited from it.

The Lord Jesus teaches us to be wise with material wealth in Luke 16:8-9, ⁸For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

When we actively practice our faith in God, it synchronizes with goodness and kindness to others. It may appear like a lot of time, effort,  and resources are wasted. If goodness and kindness to others are synchronized with faith in God, we benefit and actually more blessed. Apostle Paul had testified in Acts 20:35,  ³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Goodness and kindness to others are some sort of eternal investment in the Lord.

Most often, we are focused at receiving blessing from God. As God blessed us and we also share our blessings, he will continue to bless us all the more to be more generous to individuals who He brings to our attention.

In 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, ¹⁰Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

In the business world, there are successful investors and investors who failed.

In God’s kingdom, we can be successful when we practice our faith in him; we also grow stronger in our confidence in the Lord. The more we understand the ways of the Lord, the more we are confident in him and wanted to practice faith in him.

King David had declared his personal experience in Psalm 84:10-12, ¹¹The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. ¹²Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

King David was lowly shepherd. He understood and personally experienced how shepherds in his time were not adequate in terms of material things. King David enjoyed every moment of his life as shepherd because he had strong faith in the Lord.

Good shepherds make sure that their flock have food to eat and water to drink. They make sure that their flocks are safe from intruders or from any disease. David trusted in the Lord like his sheep trusted in him as their shepherd. And when the right time came, the Lord took David from shepherding flocks to be shepherd of the people of Israel. God has perfect timing in everything he does.

God makes everything beautiful in its time. Can you strongly believe that? Can you strongly confess to yourself that you trust the Lord as your shepherd? Can you strongly believe that the Lord will provide for your material and spiritual needs?

Keep practicing your faith in God. Active faith in God synchronizes with goodness and kindness to others. When God’s perfect time comes, you will find yourself in a very perfect situation that the Lord had designed especially for you. Can you believe that?

When God’s perfect time for you come, you will surely praise and thank him.

Let’s reflect on this: If God had endured the agony and pain when Jesus Christ was tortured, crucified and died sacrificially just for believers to be saved from hell or eternal punishment, surely he wants to bless us in ways that make us grateful of him.

Christ resurrected, returned to heaven and prepares a place for you and me. He will soon return to take us into his heaven anytime from now. Make sure that you have genuine faith in him.

Pray for increase of faith if you sense a little hint of doubt about your faith. Make sure that you have practical proof of your faith in Christ!

Active faith synchronized with goodness and kindness to others!

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