It’s a beautiful day to be a neighbor.
Today’s Family Wins devotional reflects on James 2:17 — “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
No one can live for long by inhaling but never exhaling. No one can stay healthy for long by eating but never exercising. All input and no output makes for a Dead Sea, and a dead faith. In the Christian life, the outlet of faith is good works. Charles Hodge discusses the balance we need for a healthy walk with God. Although religion does not consist in outward acts, it always produces them. The love of God can no more fail to produce obedience to His commands than a mother’s love can fail to produce watchfulness and care for her infant. A person’s religion is vain when it spends itself on exercises that relate only to his own salvation, and doubtless many Christians go limping all their days because they pay too much attention to themselves. True religion, as we find it in the Bible, is a permanent, spontaneous, and progressive principle of spiritual life, influencing the whole person and producing all the fruits of righteousness. It is the root and spring of all right feelings and actions, showing itself in love and obedience toward God, justice and benevolence toward others, and the proper government of ourselves. You needn’t wonder whether a tree is alive. Its fruitful or fruitless condition tells you all you need to know. In the same way, a living faith produces the evidence of faith: good works. Hebrews 11 describes a faith that conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised, that shut the mouths of lions, escaped the edge of the sword, became powerful in battle, and routed foreign armies (Hebrews 11:33-34). Do you have faith like that? Does your faith translate the promises of God into powerful deeds for God?
After you listen, go back and read James 2:14-26 for yourself — open your devotional to page 802, pull up the app, or grab your free copy at mindwolves.com/tfw. Let God speak to you directly, in your own time, in your own home.
A godly husband isn’t made in a day. Neither is a godly wife, a godly father, or a godly mother. They’re made in moments like this one — one verse, one choice, one day at a time.
If this neighborhood feels like home, subscribe to the channel. That way, every day, you’ll have a reminder waiting — one more chance to open the Word and feed the good wolf.
Grace and peace to you and your home.
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