What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

 

For better or worse, what we experience in life affects us. We internalize hurtful words or harmful experiences, and it changes how we see the world. We see others become wildly successful, and we become motivated to live in a similar way to achieve our own success. Even the weather or a clumsy accident can change the way we look at the day. If we know these life experiences influence us deeply, how much more should Jesus’s presence influence us? How much more should being saved from our sin and given new life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit change the way we live?

 

Salvation should change us. It’s more than a ticket to heaven; it’s a new life with the living God. This supernatural experience changes us from the inside out and should have significant implications for the way we live from that point on. Second Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” We are new creations in Christ: We have a new identity and a new mindset; we serve others, we love others, and we look to the needs of others over our own because we are satisfied and complete in the One who redeemed us. Our faith is more than the words we say or even the tasks we do. Our faith changes us from the inside out, helping us see people differently and serve them sincerely just as our Savior did.

 

  • How has your faith changed the way you serve people? If it hasn’t, how can remembering what Jesus has done for you help you serve differently?
  • What is most challenging about living out your faith to serve others? When is it easiest to serve others with a heart like Jesus’s?
  • Pray for Jesus to change your heart to reflect His in your acts of love and service for others.