Read: James 2:15-18
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
More than once I’ve heard the adage “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”. This thought fits perfectly with our faith. Although our best and most important intention should be introducing people to a relationship with Jesus, we first must meet them where they are. And for far too many people where they are in a physical sense is not at all good. Sadly, many of us take the stance that it is the government’s role to address the needs of the poor, the destitute, the homeless.
But what if the followers of Jesus did not merely speak about faith? What if followers of Jesus (the Church) lived in faith, through generosity, with a caring heart? With the help of The Holy Spirit we would change everything. Not by telling the lost and hurting how much we know about God, but by showing them we know Him. To quote a friend of mine, “by letting them see we care about them, we earn the right to share our faith with them”. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it is the government’s role or someone else’s (anyone else’s!) purpose. Instead, let us show this world our faith by our deeds.
