What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:14-26
Faith and deeds are like peanut butter and jelly, one is far better when coupled with the other, leaving a much more pleasant taste in the mouth when combined. Too much peanut butter becomes overwhelming and causes a dry mouth and makes it hard to swallow, but too much jelly is far too sweet and can make you feel sick to your stomach. What is most pleasing is a good mixture of the two. Faith and deeds are much like this analogy. God makes it abundantly clear in the above passage that faith and deeds are equally important and meant to work in partnership with one another.
The earthly events lately have been truly revealing, as I have mentioned before, and some of what’s been exposed is how well we balance our faith/deed ratio.
Today, I hope you will look at your day to day life and weigh the importance you place on each of the two. Are you a swirly person who resides strictly in the realm of faith and don’t reach out in action very often? Are you a super practical person who places utmost importance on deeds, all the while working yourself into a self-led frenzy? Are you beginning to see the importance of balance?
Prayer Moment: God, I pray that You would bring a balance to my life. Balance my faith with my deeds so I am more useful to You. Don’t let me get so swirly that I forget I need to act sometimes. Likewise, don’t let me get so caught up in my works, that I forget to connect to Your power. Hold me close in the friction between faith and deeds. Oh, how I love the beautiful friction I keep finding in my walk with You. It’s the friction that I know is required to make diamonds. You never press without purpose. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus name, Amen.
365 Days in the Presence 