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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
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
