Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:23 NIV)
How many of you attend church services regularly? How many of you are involved in a life group/home group? How many of you walk each day with the mindset of "who can I help today, who will cross my path?" James is telling us that regardless of our faith, regardless that we have been given salvation in Jesus Christ by grace, we must be LIVING the Gospel in order to complete our faith. It is not merely enough to listen or even to read the scripture if we are not going to live the scripture. We must be looking at our neighbors (anyone we come in contact with) to help fill any need they may have, whether tangible or spiritual. We must be speaking the truth and spreading the Gospel. How is it we can speak of all the needs of this world only to turn to our favorite TV show and forget about those who will go hungry tonight?
This passage convicted me. It made me look in the mirror and make the concious decision to DO for others, follow Jesus and help the poor. My neighbor mentioned restarting a food pantry at our church, I am excited! I told her I WANT to help, it's a topic that weighs heavy on my heart. I had written the church about it before, but no response...until now. I am excited to see how our vastly superficial community will reach out to those in need. Those that, surprisingly, our in our very own backyard.
Let's all do as James instructed us...which is exactly as Christ commanded in Matt 22:39 "...Love your neighbor as yourself"
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