You might have heard that the bible says faith without action is dead…
“So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead”, (James 2:17).
… and it’s true. The bible says, if you see someone without any clothes or food and say to them, ‘Keep warm and eat well’, then what’s the point? You might have all the best wishes in the world for them but it won’t improve their situation – not physically.
So what are these physical actions that God wants us to take? Where do we even start? A good place might be in 1 Corinthians. The Apostle Paul talks about faith here too. He says you can have enough faith to move mountains but without one key ingredient it’s pointless.
“If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing”, (1 Corinthians 13:2).
The key ingredient is love. Not just love in the nice, easy, ‘here today, gone tomorrow’, worldly sense of the word – but real, biblical love: a love that works hard not to be jealous, or proud, or angry; a love that forgets any wrongdoing and stays the distance. That’s the kind of love that God wants us to have for each other… even for our enemies! Paul even ends his chapter by saying:
“…the greatest of these is love”, (1 Corinthians 13:13).
How can you make sure your faith doesn’t die? Start with the L-word! Love others, like God has loved you.