Growing Gratitude | living gratefully with my abilities

James 2:14–26 NIV

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Understanding Faith

Faith comes from the Holy Spirit

Faith is a gift from God

James: faith without action is dead

Good deeds of faith are a gift from God as well

Understanding Good Deeds

Q. 86

Since we have been delivered from our misery

by grace through Christ

without any merit of our own,

why then should we do good works?

Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood,

is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image,

so that with our whole lives

we may show that we are thankful to God

for his benefits,

so that he may be praised through us,

so that we may be assured of our faith

by its fruits,

and so that by our godly living

our neighbors may be won over to Christ.

Q. 86

Since we have been delivered from our misery

by grace through Christ

without any merit of our own,

why then should we do good works?

Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood,

is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image,

so that with our whole lives

we may show that we are thankful to God

for his benefits,

so that he may be praised through us,

so that we may be assured of our faith

by its fruits,

and so that by our godly living

our neighbors may be won over to Christ.

“It is impossible for those grafted into Christ through true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude” - HC 64

"having redeemed" - already done

"is also restoring" - ongoing action

Being a thankful person:

praises God

strengthens our faith

witnesses to others

Growing Gratitude

What do actions of faith look like?

shalom flourishing - using my abilities to lift somebody else

gratitude - they owe me nothing in return

Grace is not free - redemption came at a tremendous cost

my life is a testimony of gratitude