Subject: Word on the web/13May
Content: 13 May 2008
Word on the Web
James 2 v 14-17
My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing,
their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? A brother
or sister in Christ might need clothes or food. If you say to that
person, "God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,"
but you do not give what that person needs, your words are worth
nothing. In the same way, faith by itself - that does nothing - is dead.
My husband was a particularly good snowboarder. He probably still would
be if he ever had the chance to go. We met in Austria - me a first time
skier in a day-glo yellow puffa jacket (that my mum got cheap in Marks
& Spencer) and borrowed salopettes, him fresh from free-riding in
the Canadian Rockies, 360-ing his way around the slopes. As I watched
yet another cool rider slide by in THE latest, most expensive
snowboarding gear, he would say "Ah, they can talk the talk, but can
they walk the walk?" Invariably they couldn't, but to be fair they did
look stylish as they slid backwards down the mountains.
We can all talk the talk when it comes to helping the poor, but how
many of us are walking the walk? There is a seriously strong challenge
in this passage - faith without action is not just a bit wrong, it is
dead. Caring for the poor is not an extra-curricular activity, like the
church football team or the annual summer social, it should be integral
and fundamental to the way we live out our daily walk with God. Whether
it's through praying, campaigning or giving, you can find something to
do that will make a difference.
Dear God, help me to put the poor and the oppressed at the top of my agenda today and every day. Amen.
Written by Bianca Parry, Churches Youth Manager at Christian Aid
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