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“The Danger of Faith without Love”

Thoughts for Today:

During His ministry on earth, Jesus said (Matthew 17:20b): "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Now Paul adds to this concept when he says that although a person might have a faith strong enough to move mountains, and also be blessed with the ability to comprehend the mysteries of the universe -- if it is without love, it doesn't amount to anything.

As we read Luke 9:52-54 we begin to understand the importance of looking at everything through the lens of love: "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, 'Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?' But Jesus turned and rebuked them."

Isn't their response a lot like ours might be? James and John said, "They don't agree with us so let's turn them into a heap of ashes!" It's a warning to all of us. The Lord can only entrust great faith to those who have His kind of love. Why? Because the power of faith in the hands of anyone who doesn't love would be extraordinarily dangerous.

Questions to Ponder:

Paul told the Galatians: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6b)." In other words, faith works by love and God can only entrust real faith to those who love truly. What is the source of your faith? Is it habit, obligation, guilt, or fear based? Many horrible things have mistakably been done in the name of Christ because of a lack of love. What motivates your acts?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.