Show me your faith

I will show you my faith by my works

James 2:18

Somehow I get the impression that James was not the guy that I would ask for an opinion unless I really wanted to know. Be honest. You want to avoid “James”. I have been blessed with a “James” or two in my life. Here’s the difference. I can ask, “How was the sermon?” Most will say, “That was a good message” coupled with one of those innocuous smiles that lets me know the message has already escaped and the lunch menu has moved to front of mind. “James” will say, “the intro was a weak, you lost your main point in the middle, exegesis lacked sharpness and you could have ended 3 minutes before you did…but I like your text selection”.

James is not the “feel good” book on your summer reading list if you are a bit timid about following Christ or “double-minded” as “James” would say. It stings. But, I love to read James because James destroys any thought that my faith in Christ is irrelevant. I cannot read James and believe that God intends for my faith to be some disconnected ethereal feeling. Real faith matters every day. Real faith - the kind of faith in Christ that keeps me talking to Him, worshiping Him, feeding on His words and following Him – will show up in my actions today. Faith connects with orphans and widows. Faith is not hidden inside my head or my heart. It is on display in my life every day.

Today, it’s very popular to ask leaders about “core values”. The questions can probe decision-making in an organization or at a personal level. Perhaps James would ask, “What would your family members, your colleagues and friends say are your core values?” Otherwise, answers are mostly aspirational. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tractor-trailer rolling down the highway with “We value profit over people” printed on the side! In the Christian life, it’s not easy to confess that we value temporal things over eternal. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable to be honest about what our daily lives reveal about what’s most important to us. James was not written to make us comfortable. James makes it clear. Don’t uncouple faith and action. Each day is a deposition recorded in the book of my life regarding my faith. “James” is not afraid to look me in the eye today and say, “Show me.”