Reading your Bible for today June 27

June 27: James 2:14-20

KJV Key Verse: James 2:19
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Devotion:
If someone asked you to identify the Christians out of a crowd of people, how would you go about doing that? Would you look for the well dressed ones, or the shabby ones? Would you look for the ones kneeling down or the ones standing up? Would you look for the happy ones or the sad ones? Just what would you look for? Would you believe the ones who said they were Christians or the ones who rejected Christ?

It is a sad thing there are many who would preach that having some sort of faith alone is enough to get you to heaven. Whilst you may think this is true because the bible says we only need to believe, the practicalities are not! One person may say they do believe there is a God and yet they will not trust Him. Another may do things according to the rules which God has laid down and yet will not fully believe. Looking at both of these people carefully will allow you to see that neither really do have faith in Christ. Being a true Christian does not just mean believing there is a God. It does not just mean being there in church every week. It does mean having faith and applying that faith daily into your life 24 hours a day!

How can we say that we are one thing and yet do another thing. Most people I know will call that being two-faced! So why do Christians think they can get away with it just because they call themselves Christians. In my book, saying you believe in something means that you should show you do believe it! This means that Christians ought to do things Christ has taught us to do. We need to take our faith a bit more seriously than just reading about it or saying we are what we are – we need to prove we are what we are by living up to what we say. Would you want people on your soccer team who all said they could play, or people who can actually play? Christ wants us to BE Christians, not just to say we are or do things that Christians do – He wants us to live as Christians.

Points to Ponder:
Were you ever picked first for team play, or left 'till last?

Would God pick you for His team?