Faith in Action Is Risky Business
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:18 (ESV)
Having faith means taking risks. It’s not the same kind of risks as betting on the Super Bowl or the horses but instead requires an obedient and adventuresome mindset.
Once upon a time, I took big risks outside of God’s protection. Those days are long gone. Today, I think anything outside of our comfort zone is classified as chancy. Praying with a total stranger at Kohl’s would be difficult for me, but I know people who have done just that.
Instead of saying, “I’ll put you on my prayer list!”, pray right then. We get caught up in business and that “I’ll-pray-for-you” promise gets left behind. We often brag about our faith, and then we don’t use it. Are we afraid of offending someone or not being accepted? Does the opinion of others take the joy out of our hearts?
Here is the scenario. What would you do?
You are alone and pulling out of a busy grocery store parking lot. On the well-manicured little island, there is a man sitting in a rickety old chair. His sign reads: PLEASE HELP ME!
Is your impulse to drive on by and hope that someone else will have a bigger heart? I can’t tell you what I’d do. I want to think I’d stop.
So, you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all—it is dead and useless (James 2:17 TLB).
That verse kind of points out all the places where I have fallen short. My face is a little red even as I sit here by myself writing this.
I have so many possessions that I hold tightly in my hands. Yet I know they are not mine but His. He has only gifted them to me. Am I stingy? Afraid? Worldly?
We can all talk a big game, but where are we at the end of each day? Are we finding help for the man we initially drove by?
Loving Lord, thank You for Your nudges to action and to serve others above ourselves. Continue to give us strength to takes risks, to stand above the world’s definition of being faithful. As our faith deepens, let us be seen and known as Your children. AMEN.