What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works: Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (ESV)

In the past couple of years, I have been on a journey to be physically healthier. I was idle for far too long, and my body was paying the price. I had gotten heavier than I had ever been in my life, and I was always hurting. Every joint and muscle seemed to hurt all the time – and I wasn’t even doing anything.  

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What I have learned is that if I stop moving, my body starts hurting. Now don’t get me wrong, when I work out and lift, I get very sore sometimes, but the pain is a different kind of pain. I discovered that, to keep my joints and muscles feeling good and strong, I must keep working them.  

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There are days when I really don’t want to go to the gym – I just want to sit around and be lazy – but I still want the results of going to the gym. I still want my body to feel and look strong. But how can I expect that without putting in the work? I can’t get stronger by wishing for it or by watching someone else do the work.

Honestly, I feel like our faith works the same way. How can we expect our faith to get stronger, if we just sit around and wish it would get stronger? Or if we sit around and watch others go out and do the work? If we don’t work the muscle for ourselves, it gets stiff and sore and harder the next time we go out to move it. So then, how do we work, or demonstrate, our faith muscle? We go out into the world and serve.

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What does our passage say today of a faith that is not demonstrated? “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). If you don’t exercise that muscle – by going out and doing the work – your faith is dead, or nekros. According to this Greek word, that means that your faith is destitute of force or power, inactive, or inoperative. It’s a broken faith.  

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Like physical exercise, we may not always want to go out and serve. We may want to be lazy. When we do go out, our faith muscle might actually get sore – there may be sacrifices when we serve that leave us spiritually depleted. But we have a God who has filled us with HIS power.

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In fact, one reason God fills us with his Spirit is so that we have power – HIS POWER. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He has given us the power of his Holy Spirit to be his witnesses. How can we be his witnesses if we do not exercise his power?  

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If I don’t exercise my physical body, it will get weaker; in the same way, so will my spiritual body. If I don’t exercise my faith by working it, like idle muscles, it will atrophy and become inactive, inoperative, and useless. I will waste the power that is within me, given for the purpose of advancing the kingdom.  

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I have a simple challenge for you today – go out and serve. Go out and actually give a coat to someone who is cold; buy a meal for someone who is hungry; serve someone and be God’s witness.

God show us where you would have us serve. Help us to exercise our faith muscle so we continue to gain strength, for your Name and for your glory. May we never be lacking in power to serve and advance your kingdom. In the mighty name of Jesus ~ AMEN!