Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
John 15:16-17 (NIV)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
James 2:15-17 (NIV)
15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them,“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
1 John 3:17 gives a practical application of the previous verse: because of what Jesus has done for us, we should pay attention to our neighbor’s need, and give real help! Such actions are the fruit of the Gospel, a sign that God’s Spirit is living and working in us. Jesus encourages, promising that this fruit ‘will last.’ By this, Jesus means that our sacrifices for others will have an eternal impact, and these actions will be remembered in heaven. (The things we do to serve ourselves will not last). Then look at James 2:15-17, which spells this out in a clear and memorable way. In what ways are you currently blessing those who already have more than they need? In what ways are you ignoring those who are in need?