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I
could see the words forming in his brain as he turned the small, new electronic
gadget over and over in his hands. Grandpa, who had just given 7-year-old Jason
a new toy, was watching too as the wheels turned. He wasn't sure what was coming
from the in-depth examination, but I had a pretty good idea. I had seen the expression
many times before.
"How does it come apart?" he asked. I mouthed the words to my dad
as Jason was saying them. It wasn't supposed to come apart, certainly not at the
hands of a youngster. I had experienced Jason's handiwork before! You could say
I feared his question.
Most all of us have a question we dread. For some it may be,
"Do you always tell the truth?" or "Have you ever lied before?" For a Christian
it might be, "what has God been teaching you lately?", or "how's your walk with
Jesus?"
James rattled some folks when he asked, "What use is it, my
brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can that faith save him?"
(James
2:14). Does his question rattle you? Do you dread it?
James was trying to make it clear to his readers through a series
of questions that true religious faith has works. In other words, if you say that
you believe in Jesus Christ, God's Son, who revealed the Father to us, that belief
should make a difference in your life. A dry or non-working faith is akin to what
demons have. They believe in God but "shudder" from fear (verse
19). Their belief doesn't change anything.
Does your faith impact all aspects of your life? If it doesn't,
it may not be "saving faith."
All Scripture references are from the New American
Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
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~ The
Question 
