Tonight in my quiet time I read through James 2. In my journal, I wrote the following simple prayer, specifically as a response to James 2: 14-26, where James makes strong declarations on the reality of Faith and Works in a reborn Christian’s life .

My Prayer

Dear God,

I offer you all of me and my family.

Please continue changing and renewing my mind and heart to believe in, have faith in, trust in, and know you more deeply and intimately.

Please work through and show your love through me to my wife and others.

Please help my mind and words reflect your character.

Please reveal yourself to me more, so I can be always overwhelmed by your glory.

Build my faith. Asking this both scares and excites me.

Please give me wisdom for leading my family towards you. You are both the destination and the journey.

Help me cherish you more.

Cultivate a heart of thankfulness, joy, and humility in me.

Fan my flame of passion for serving you / others / your church… for making disciples… and for glorifying you in my actions and thoughts.

Only by, through, and in connection with (through submission) your gift of the the Spirit is this possible.

Please grow my desire to seek and serve the homeless.

Please help me be more sensitive to the Spirit throughout the day.

Help me get over myself.

I come to you only through the sacrifice of Christ, and pray these things in His previous name.

Thank you for you.

You are amazing.

Amen

James 2:14-26 (Faith Without Works is Dead)

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ 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? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.