Devotional - January 18, 2023
James 2: 18-20. 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. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. These two verses may seem straightforward enough, but there are a few issues laying underneath. If the nature of my faith is purely ideological or categorical, then it falls into James' first category; show me your faith without deeds. In other words, because I belong to a group, I automatically get what it says the group gets. Jesus makes it clear that will not be the case for His followers (Matt 7: 21-23). I fear that many fall into this category. They may believe all the "right" things according to the group, but their actions say otherwise. For James, if you want to know what he believes, watch him. However, over a lifetime you are going to change. Your ideology, relationships, and faith will change, but God will stay the same (Malachi 3:6, Isaiah 40:28 & 44-:6, Heb 13:8). Yet, how you interpret what God wills in relation to your life may change. All your relationships change, even how you relate to your own self. Do not let the changes you make prohibit you from expressing your faith. Change is a part of one's faith development. Just be sure to do your due diligence before you make any changes. God's love and faithfulness will carry you through the process. God affirms our desire to find the truth over any empty affirmations or creedal statements we may claim. A part of James' claim to faith, his deeds, includes the changes he went through in his relationship with God and others. I am sure he had plenty of mishaps and failures along the way, as do we all. God knows this and God understands it. We do our faith a lot of justice when we acknowledge it too. It's alright to say you changed my mind about an issue. Doing so does not devalue your Christianity. When we read about Paul, Peter and the other disciples, are they not stories of spiritual growth? How about Abraham or David? Fear prohibits us from questioning or growing. Faith calls us to seek and find the truth knowing that we are loved and that it is safe to do so. Faith calls us to trust the One in whom we seek. There are texts in the Bible that would make a person balk at what I am saying like Phil 2:12-13. To which I reply, isn't the context of that text where Paul was telling the church to stay humble and loving like their Lord? The verse is a response to their pride.
James' next statement, you believe there is one God, refers to Deuteronomy 6:4. Jewish identity and faith is based upon it, same with Christians. The way to hear what James is saying is to keep the flow going from the first statement into the second. Faith in God is expressed in one's actions. James says, at least the demons have the sense to shudder in the presence of God, especially since they are demons. Many who call themselves Christian couldn't care less about God, not really. Their faith in God and their life are not connected. They believe they have what their religion says regardless of their actions. James' point is, even the demons who are condemned have more sense than they do.
Pray with me... Holy God, grant us the strength and courage to grow in our relationship with You, to trust You. May our expression of faith glorify You, even when it's a little off. Be with our loved ones Lord, bless them according to their needs, and bless our church so we can be the people you call us to be, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
