Good Morning!
Ever hear the phrase, "They are book smart and street dumb!" There is a big difference between just knowing and actual doing. So it is with our growth in faith. We can know all the facts and figures of the Bible, but miss the fact that the Bible is about a relationship God and Jesus. James 4:14. Dear brothers, what's the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren't proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone?
15. If you have a friend who is in need of food and clothing,
16. and you say to him, ``Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat hearty,'' and then don't give him clothes or food, what good does that do? 17. So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn't show itself by good works is no faith at all--it is dead and useless.
18. But someone may well argue, ``You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can't prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.''
19. Are there still some among you who hold that ``only "knowing' is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too--so strongly that they tremble in terror!
20. Fool! When will you ever learn that ``knowing' is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.
May all you learn about the Bible compel you to do!
