Don't Just Pray...Do!

[Charles Butler]

From my Dear Wife Beth's Facebook post a couple of days ago:

"My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? A brother or sister in Christ might need clothes or food. If you say to that person, "God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat," but you do not give what the person n...eeds, your words are worth nothing. James, Ch 2, 14-16

How many times do we tell someone, "I'll pray for you." Half the time, when we say that, we forget to even pray! Prayer is a valuable tool in our faith, I have personally seen the results of prayer, in my life,and in my family's. So never discount the value of true prayer!

But often...we use prayer as a cop-out. We tell someone...I'll be praying for you, when we can do so much more. What good does it do, if you know someone is hungry, to say "I'll pray for you that you get food?" and walk away, never helping to feed them? What good does it do, if you know someone has need of clothes for their children, if you tell them you'll pray, but don't give them your son's outgrown coat?

I feel this verse, which is out of my favorite epistle..is a call to action, and a call to evaluate our faith. Are we active in our faith? Do we reach out to help? OR do we say, I'll pray, and move on.... See More

The homeless in our country...they are everywhere now. And none of us, by ourselves, can solve this problem. But if we all did a little...much could be done. Can you keep a can of soup or an old sweater in your car to hand out to the needy as you see them? Remember, Christ called us to feed the hungry in His Name, to clothe the poor. Not just to pray for them, but to help them.

In your friends and family...if there is need, do you offer to help, or just say "I'll pray" because it is inconvienant to you to do more?

In your community, are you sad the food bank is shortening their services because they lack donations and volunteers to help? Pray, certainly, for them! Also...volunteer, donate, help. Do.

We should always be praying, friends. Often times, when you see a need from across the country, or even in your own town, and there is nothing physically you can do, it seems overwhelming. But you can pray, because God listens to prayers and answers prayers.

But God also watches. He will see if you have the means to help, but choose not to. He will see if you turn your back on those He has put in your path, whether they be those close to you, like family and friends, or those simply in your town, struggling, or living on your streets. God wants to see your faith in action, He wants to see that it is alive, and that you care. We are commanded to love our brothers and sisters...1 John ch 4 vrs 20 says that if we claim to love God yet do not love our brothers, we are liars. For how can we love God who we have not seen if we do not love those around us, who we do see?

Put your faith in action! Remember as you give food, clothing, kind words and prayers to those around you, that not only are you giving to them, you are giving to Christ!

We never truly know who it is we are helping. Maybe that man you gave a warm coffee to this morning...maybe he was an angel, or Christ himself.