“Faith without works is dead”. (James 2:17) I came across this verse last week and have been contemplating it’s meaning since. It’s a simple sentence, no hidden meaning, yet caused me to wonder if I am doing this “Christian” thing right. If I claim to have faith but am not storing up good works in the Lord’s name for eternity, is my faith in word only? Are works the only tell-tale sign of our faith?
My mind has consistently focused on the word “works” in this verse. The word on its own has a negative connotation. Who wants to do more than they are already doing? My mind goes to my non-Christian friends…reading this verse would become one more tally on their score board for not choosing Christ. It requires work. They would argue that salvation is not a free gift after all. Without understanding true faith, I might readily agree. However, I need to point out that works are the result of salvation, not the means to it. It is essential to understand that works are not shame or guilt based. (Read on to get a better understanding…hopefully)
Here’s the beautiful part. When the world rejects, He embraces. When I am empty, He fills me up. When I can’t seem to hold on to Him, He doesn’t let go of me. When I walk away, He stands by my side. He will never leave me or forsake me (that has got to be my most favorite promise of all!) Though I was in the world, filled with sin, He chose me, gave me His son, paid my punishment of death and gave me life, calling me His daughter. Truly there is none like Him. He is my beginning. He is my end. I love Him with a love that nothing can compare. I have put my hope, trust and life into Him. My faith is in Him.
When you are loved completely and unconditionally like this you can’t help but to love in response. (I love Him because He first loved me.) Love spurs action. Our faith in Him is proven by what we do in response to that belief. Action always stems from a belief. What actions do we live out in response to what we say we believe about the Lord?
I have felt convicted this week. I struggle constantly between being of this world, but not in it. (I don't think I'm quite OK with living in exile yet. See my last post) My most consistent sin, I feel, is hiding my faith at times, caring entirely too much what others think because I desperately desire to be accepted. (There are actually several sins within that sentence, but no need to look more closely). 90% of my day is spent in the world, where by law my faith is to be kept under wraps. My witness, my “works” come out through my motives. Why do I do the work I do? Yes, for the paycheck, but also because I genuinely care about my job. (I know not all of you can say the same) How do I keep my motives pure? I know this will sound like a holier than thou attitude, but it is truth. I pray every morning on the way to work that I would work as if I am serving Him. Working for the school district doesn’t inspire me to give 110%, working as if unto the Lord makes me want to give my everything. I pray that my co-workers would see something different in me. I pray that if they should ask, that I would have the courage to share about the One I love so much, that it is Him I work for every single day.
This week dissecting this scripture, I wondered if I needed to start serving in the church again, if I needed to find more volunteer opportunities to prove my faith in the Lord. After thinking about this, I honestly believe it is not only about that. I believe it is being true to your belief and living your day to day as if you could wrap it up as a present and give it back to the Lord. Oh how I desire more than anything to bring a smile to His face as He opens my gift.
1 comment:
No, they are not the only sign of our faith. Keep in mind that James also chastises those who have works but no faith. You can have works without faith or a false faith that produces works that have no merit, but true saving faith will always show itself in works.
Luther was the great bridger of the Medieval Christianity of his day by stating that there was no greater merit in being a religous than in not, that both served God equally, though separately. The Cistercian Orders motto "Laborare est Orare" (To work is to pray) captures this beautifully.
For non-Christians, this is obviously not where you start. Trust me, they have heared enough of you-must-do-works and you-must-not-do-this Christianity. Skipping to your end, it is when they see your life and the works that you do (and Christ said even a cup of cold water or a visit can be a good work if done in faith)is a far more powerful testimony. As has been said by wiser heads than me, they can dispute your words, but they cannot dispute a changed life.
Having faith in this world is hard, and getting harder. Last week, a somewhat unflattering description of Christians was the point of a discussion in my presence. The ironic thing is that this is from a group of people that consider themselves intelligent, educated, and unbiased, and would never make that kind of comment of any other group. The funny thing is that if I had said something, they would have of course apologized, felt bad, etc. - but then that nagging thing in their mind of being themselves in front of me would be gone, and thus my credibility as a witness (If you are slapped on the right cheek, let them slap the left as well).
Again, I'm a cheat - I know you, and I know you care deeply about the children you work with. But ironically, caring or liking our job isn't the thing: As Paul says in Colossians 3:22-24: "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as man pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God, for you know that is from the Lord you will receive the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ."
In the end, no matter what we do, it is Christ we serve. I constantly struggle with this, as I see my bosses, or my coworkers as my "customers". In reality, Christ is both my manager and my customer. If I'm serving Him as I should, the rest will follow.
In St. Patrick's Breastplate (a prayer otherwise known as the Lorica), there is a line that goes "Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me." My question for all of us, probably mirroring Otis, is do we see Christ in that way every day, every minute. Does He pervade your life (because He sure doesn't mine by mine own fault) in that way? If He did, my courage would not even be an issue, because then it would be Him I see and sense and serve, instead of my own fears.
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