Faith Shown by Works

This afternoon, I had the privilege of joining a Primary class during the second hour of church. The lesson this week focused on the relationship between faith and works. Essentially, if we have sufficient faith, our faith will move us to action, and that action will be the evidence of our faith. James 2:18 reads "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."

When we truly believe something, we act on that belief. My faith in the wiring of my house leads me to pull the cord of a ceiling light every morning, fully expecting the light to turn on. My faith in my employers leads me to work for them, fully expecting them to pay me for my time. And my faith in God leads me to strive to keep His commandments, because I fully expect that I will be blessed for my efforts to be righteous. If I didn't have faith in God and His promises, then I probably wouldn't bother trying to keep His commandments.

About a week or two ago, I participated in a Peak Adventures climbing course. Secured by a harness and a set of climbing ropes, I climbed up at least 20-30ft and walked across a log from one tree to another. Without that climbing gear, that activity would have been very dangerous and incredibly foolish. I could have fallen to my death from such a height, and as the saying goes, there's nothing easier than falling off a log. I was (mostly) comfortable with risking my life in that activity because I knew that I wasn't really risking my life. Had I fallen, that rope system would have stopped me from falling to my death. I was only willing to act because I had faith.

I wonder if my faith in God is as strong as my faith in a harness and a set of climbing ropes. Do I have enough faith to take whatever risks He asks me to take, fully expecting everything to work out alright? Do I have enough faith to follow whatever path He asks me to follow, fully expecting it to lead me to a good destination? I suppose, when the time comes, my actions will show whether I have such faith or not.

I hope I have such faith, and I want to develop such faith, just to make sure I have it, because, on some level, I believe that God knows what's best and that His plans always work out. I hope that I'll be wise enough to follow Him, even when the decisions get dicey, but that's going to take a lot of courage, or rather, it's going to take a lot of faith. I hope that, when the stakes are high, I will still have enough faith to show my faith by my works. I hope I have the courage to put my money where my mouth is, or rather, to put my behavior where my beliefs are. It's easy to say that I have faith in God and His promises, but if I really have such faith, I'll be willing to prove it by acting on it.