Read James 1:17 – 27
If you want to experience genuine growth in your Christian life, it is not enough to be instructed in the Word. You may love going to seminars and Bible studies or listening to countless teachers and preachers; then, when you can discuss spiritual topics in depth, you might assume you have grown significantly. However, unless you live out your faith by giving yourself away in ministry to others, your “progress” amounts to nothing more than head knowledge. Memorizing Scripture is wonderful, but God wants to use all that truth to impact someone else’s life. Otherwise, you’re missing the point.
Spiritual growth results from practicing the principles you receive from God. This is done by sharing the truth of the Gospel with others, loving them, and serving them. Jesus did not come merely as a great teacher; He came as a servant – even to the lowest rung of His society, like lepers, prostitutes, fanatics, and thieves. (Matthew 20:28)
When the Savior walked on earth, He did the Father’s will by wholeheartedly involving Himself in people’s lives. His purpose today is the same: to reach the world with His love, through you. If that were not the case, He would have taken you to heaven as soon as you were saved – it would have been the safest thing to do! But you’re here for a purpose: to reach out with Christ’s love to a world which desperately needs to know that the Savior cares for them. This happens one individual at a time, through your warm – hearted, personal involvement in that person’s life.
Does anyone come to mind?
Question: What did James mean when he says we are meant to be “a kind of first fruits of all [God] created”? (James 1:18)
Author: Charles Stanley
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