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Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? (James 2:14 MSG) When the teenagers come home from school they will occasionally give me more information about their days than, "School was fine." On those lucky days they'll tell me something they've heard in a particular class, and I always enjoy watching their eyes light up as they tell me about wha...
Keep ReadingIn the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is deadI will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2: 17,18). James reminds us that Jesus calls us to love all our neighbors all the time. And there are few better ways to show your love than by putting faith into action. With Chatham Serves right around the corner, I wanted to share a particularly powe...
Keep Reading"What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds" (James 2:14)? As Christians, what should we do when we approach a red traffic light and see a person in the median with a cardboard sign, asking for help? Gather your answer(s), and I'll get back to you. In the span of just thirteen verses, James (the half-brother of Christ) reminds his Christian audience s...
Keep ReadingWhat good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 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. ...
Keep ReadingBut someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faithwithout deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds (James 2:18). Happy Monday! We're in the middle of our Made on Purpose for a Purpose series, and gearing up for Chatham Serves on Sunday, April 21. If you've not yet signed up for a Chatham Serves activity, please go to www.chathamserves.org. "D...
Keep Reading"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lampand put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-6). My husband and I raised our family in ...
Keep Reading"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lampand put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good worksand give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16 NIV). If you attended college, do you re...
Keep Reading"You are the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13). When Jesus called His followers "salt of the earth," what did they make of that? What should we make of that? Jesus didn't explain the symbolism between salt and our lives. So let's talk about salt, shall we? We hear "salt of the earth" today to mean we're hard-working, reliable, down-to-earth folk. Perhaps that derives from ...
Keep Reading"You are the light of the worldlet your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 4: 14,16). What do you want to be when you grow up? If you're a young student, I'm guessing you're naming off some profession, like a doctor, fireman, astronaut, or Youtube mega-influencer superstar. Maybe you're in high school...
Keep Reading"You are the salt of the earthYou are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13a,14a). Nineties kids: raise your hand if you owned a copy of The Lion King on VHS! (A moment for Gen Z and Alpha to Google "VHS") :) For those of you who didn't spend the entirety of summer 1994 watching it on repeat, the plot of The Lion King in a nutshell is this: Simba is the crown prince of...
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