And…..Action!

James 2:17

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Talk is cheap. It’s a phrase we’ve all heard before. Or how about: Put your money where your mouth is. It’s easy to claim to believe something. After all, if all you’re doing is claiming to believe, if your belief is never tested, there’s no risk involved. But true faith allows itself to be tested. It proves itself through action. If you really believe something, it should be easy to take the next step and act on that belief. If you believe that there’s a good chance of winning the lottery, you’ll buy a ticket. If you believe that God wants you to tithe, you’ll tithe. The action flows naturally out of your belief.

Faith comes from hearing God’s Word. It’s a gift God has given us. We hear about God’s goodness, about His faithfulness, and about His provision, and we have the choice to believe it and put our faith in it. But if we stop there, do we really believe? Can we really claim to believe that God will provide for us if we’re spending our time worrying about how to make it happen ourselves? Can we really claim to love Jesus if we don’t do what He tells us to do?

That’s what James is saying here. It’s all well and good to tell someone you’ll pray for their situation and to offer words of encouragement, but if you have the ability to actually help them, you need to go the extra step and do so. Faith isn’t something we can see. Faith is invisible, just like God is invisible. But what we can see are the actions prompted by faith and rooted in faith. That’s when an invisible God becomes visible: when we match our faith to action!

Father, I thank you for the incredible gift of faith. I thank you for your goodness, for your faithfulness, and for your provision. God, sometimes it’s easy for me to give a quick word without doing what I can to help others. Sometimes, God, I claim to believe in you, but I neglect to do what you ask me to do. Forgive me for my disobedience, for my reluctance, for my sin. Help me to match my faith to action, to put my money where my mouth is, and to reach out and make an actual difference in my world so that others might see you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.