Faith into Action

Week 36, Friday

Heather Platt

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:15-17 (esv)

In a sense, these words from James haunt me. They first became real to me when I started traveling overseas as a college student. I will never forget the images and smells I encountered as I walked through a city dump where children lived, hunting for food. In my mind, I can still see families we met who lived in tiny shacks on the side of a mountain with no electricity or clean water to drink. During such moments, I have realized that the world does not revolve around me and my comfortable American culture. As a follower of Christ, He has called me to put my faith into action on behalf of those who are in need around me.

One tangible way that these verses from James 2 have played out in my family’s life is through adoption. There are approximately 147 million orphans in the world today. The need is so overwhelming, and we as believers have so much to give. Before my husband and I opened our hearts to adoption, these children were just a number on a page. But it took meeting only one orphan to cause us to realize just how special each of these children is and how much God loves them. James said earlier in his letter, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27, esv). God wants to care for orphans. He is a father to the fatherless, and He allows us to show the love of Christ to these children who are in desperate need of physical, emotional, and spiritual guidance and love.

Serving those in need around us is not what saves us, but it is the overflow of faith in a God who cares for us. How can you show the love of Jesus to brothers and sisters in need around you? What can you do to visit orphans and widows in their distress? How can your faith overflow into action?

Lord, give me a burning passion for those who are in need around me. Show me how I can make a difference in others’ lives for your glory. Amen.