KidzPort August 23 – Just Do It!!

August 25, 2009

Sometimes there are things in the Bible that are hard to understand.  Especially when it seems we’re being told two different things.   For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 says this:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Fair enough.  But, James 2:24 says this:

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

So how is it then that Paul tells us that we are not saved by works, and James tells us that we are?

The answer is pretty simple.  James is telling us that while it is God who saves us, by His grace, that we still need to live here.  And that we need to make good choices while we do.  Life is full of opportunities to make good choices.  Every day, people are in our lives; and we can choose to show those people the love of Christ, or to not show them that love.  It might be the new kid at school, the old woman down the street, or our own families.  The choices that we make determine how we reflect Christ.  

It’s true that Christ lives in our hearts.  We just don’t need to keep him there. 

For Parents:

• Read James 2: 14-26 with your child.  What does this say about how we are supposed to live? 
• Read Ephesians 2:10.  Does this verse help to clarify what Paul was saying?
• Pray with your child, asking God to help them make good choices.