[Dailydevo] Daily Devotion Monday August 8, 2005

[Barry Ludwig]

Daily Devotions Monday August 8, 2005

The devotions for the next two weeks have been written by our Tanzania
Mission Team who will be flying out to Tanzania on Thursday, August 11th.
Kicking of the two weeks today is an opening devotion by Pastor Ludwig.

 

James 2:14-18 (The Message paraphrase)

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the
right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate
that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend
dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed
in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing
so much as a coat or a cup of soup--where does that get you? Isn't it
obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take
care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."  Not so
fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can
show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit
together hand in glove.

 

Thought

It is good to pray for the needs of people and it is safe. It is the "safe"
part that bothered James. He understood the radical nature of faith which
pushes us out of our circle of safety in order to reach out to people who
are not like us. Jesus calls his followers to take risks for the sake of the
world. It is the pattern of the kingdom which he established as he cried out
through the lungs of a baby in Bethlehem. It is the pattern of meaning he
established when he associated with tax collectors, prostitutes, and lepers.
It is the word he sighed from the cross of indignity and human suffering.  

In the kingdom of God, no one goes unnoticed and everyone has a place at the
table. It takes courage and faith to decide that "God-talk without God-acts
is outrageous nonsense," and then to do something about it. Eleven of our
members have decided to do something about it. They have abandoned their
safe circle and chosen to travel to Tanzania to work for the well-being of
people they have not met. This they do in the name of Christ who has given
us life. We pray for them and their work of love. We ask for the Holy Spirit
to inspire us to follow their example.

 

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