‘Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.’ James 2:17 (NKJV)
There is a tale about an old lady whose son emigrated to Australia, where he became very successful in business, and consequently, very wealthy. He would write home to his mother regularly, telling her all about it. She, in turn, would tell everyone she knew about how well her son was doing. Her friends all wondered why she lived in such poverty if her son was so rich. One day, one of her friends delicately asked if the son ever sent her anything with all the letters she had from him. She answered that he always sent her some nice pictures, which she stuck on her bedroom walls. The friend was taken upstairs to see what he had sent and was shocked to discover that thousands of pounds worth of Australian currency was hanging there as decorations! Needless to say, the notes were exchanged, and the ‘poor’ old lady became rich! Sometimes we too can be so like the old lady; we have received the Word of Yehovah, but for many reasons, fail to understand or know the value of it, and what it can actually do. It may be through ignorance, or neglect, but if we just leave Yehovah’s gift to us, which is His Word, as mere decoration to our lives, we remain in spiritual poverty. The Scriptures explain how we must use what we have and act on what we know, for our faith to become ‘fleshed out’ and become real. Remember to exchange your words for acts of faith!