Daily Devotional

-January 5, 2021-

Good morning, happy Tuesday,

-Putting Our Faith Into Action-

“Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean; Put away the evil doings from before My eyes. Cease to evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

(Isaiah 1:16-17).

Though God spoke these words to His people Israel hundreds of years before Christ, the message to us is abundantly clear: put your faith into action. Words are not enough. James wrote, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says, he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to him, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ but you do not give them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:14-17).

Christianity is not theoretical but practical. As J. Vernon McGee used to say, “It is where the rubber meets the road.” While doctrine is extremely important, it must be applied to our lives in practical ways. In Paul writings he speaks of doctrine first then practice. In today’s text, there are seven principles to live by in these two verses:

1. Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean – While we know we are washed in the blood of Christ, we must walk in holiness and purity in this world. We need to confess our sins to the Lord and live a clean life.

2. Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes – There are so many defiling things in this world today, on the internet, TV, movies, magazines and all around us. We must put them away, turn them off, or walk out of the movie theater.

3. Cease to do evil – Satan is the master manipulator and liar. He tempted Adam and Eve, and he tempts us too. We must judge our actions in the light of God’s Word. If it wrong or even questionable, we should not do it.

4. Learn to do good – Good is the opposite of evil. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works. It is not just about not doing evil, but we must do good. We should do good to all, especially the household of faith.

5. Seek justice – God is just and fair without prejudice or partiality. This is so relevant to our times. We should treat people equally and show the love of Christ to all. All people matter to God. He loves everyone.

6. Rebuke the oppressor – Sometimes we know what to do but we do not do it. Standing up to those who are harming others is our duty and responsibility. Not getting involved is not acceptable.

7. Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow – God has a special love for orphans and widows; it is shown over and over in the Scriptures. Often they do not have the resources to defend themselves, we we must help them.

These principles are clear and understandable to all of us. We must put our Christian faith into action, beings doers of the Word not just hearers. In other words, let us walk the talk, and practice what we preach.

Have a blessed day practicing our faith in our actions. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean