THE PROPER PLACE OF WORKS (II)
“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:17 NLT
Yesterday, we reflected on the comfort that God is not unjust to forget our labor of love. Today, the Spirit draws us deeper, showing us what kind of works God remembers and delights in.
James reminds us that works do not create faith; rather, genuine faith produces works. The root precedes the fruit. The believer labors not to earn God’s favor, but because grace has already made them His own. This is why the works that please the Lord flow from relationship, not ambition; from gratitude, not self-promotion.
There are many philanthropists in the world— donors, sponsors, and benefactors whose names fill plaques and headlines. Yet often the motivation underneath is the building of legacy, brand, or reputation, though the actions in themselves are harmless. But the church of Jesus Christ shines when, having received grace, she pours out grace. When she invests in those who may never repay, without applause, without cameras, and without the craving to be known.
This is the work God remembers, faith expressing itself through love, born from a heart captured by Christ. True Christian labor is not transactional but transformational. It looks like Jesus, who served the least, fed the hungry, touched the unclean, and embraced the forgotten, not because they could add to His glory, but because His glory compelled Him to give.
Yesterday’s message reminded us that God remembers, today reminds us what He remembers. May our works be not simply seen by men, but found pleasing by God. Hallelujah !
Prayer: My Father, I thank you for this word. I thank You for the grace that saves and the grace that transforms. Help me remember that my works do not earn your, but they spring from it. Shape my motives, purify my service, and let my labors be the overflow of the faith You have planted in me. Make my hands willing, my heart sincere, and my service reflective of Your love, in Jesus name. Amen!
CI.
RELATED RESOURCES
• Titus 2:14
• Galatians 5:6
• Matthew 6:1-4
