An Active Faith Works Best

"Faith and works are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God trusts God; and he that trusts God obeys God. He that is without faith is without works; and he that is without works is without faith."  - Charles Spurgeon

Many of us are under the false impression that simply having faith is enough. While it is commendable to believe and have a strong faith in God, it doesn't do anyone any good if it isn't utilized. Think of it this way, a body minus the spirit is pretty much dead, right? In the same sense, faith without action is dead (James 2:26).

Faith was meant to be used. It does its best work when it is employed in God's name. This topic brings to mind one particular story in the Bible. More than that, it shines the spotlight one specific person, a woman. Her name was Rahab, and her story can be found in Joshua 2-6.

Now, I won't go into a lot of detail here today because I think you'd get a better understanding about her if you read her story on your own. But, what I'd like to do is use Rahab as an example of what faith in God can do when put into action.

Rahab wasn't exactly what you'd think of as "heroine" material. She was a young Canaanite prostitute, living in a corrupt, depraved and pagan culture. In fact, the wicked city in which she lived, Jericho, was under God's condemnation. But first impressions can be misleading.

While preparing to enter the land west of the Jordan, Joshua sent two spies to investigate the land and report back to him. It wasn't long before the king of Jericho heard about these two and ordered their capture. It was about this time that the men decided to hide out in Rahab's house.

Since people were used to seeing men coming in and out of her house, this probably wasn't a bad idea. At least, it wouldn't be suspicious. An added bonus was that Rahab's house was built on the city wall (Joshua 2:15), which provided an escape route, if needed.

She hid the two Israelites on the roof of her house, enabling the men to elude capture, and basically saving their lives. During a conversation she had with them she declared her faith to God (Joshua 2:11). In return for her faith and actions, they promised protection to Rahab and her family from a pending attack.

Would any of this had been possible if Rahab had just sat back and done nothing? She said she believed in God; that she had faith in him. However, it wasn't until she helped the Israelite spies that her faith was brought to life (James 1:22).

Rahab's excellent example serves to inspire us today. It demonstrates that our past history should not hinder nor impede us when it comes to our faith in God. There's nothing worse than possessing a strong faith, but not doing a thing with it.

It won't jump into action unless you make the first move! Sometimes we draw back or hesitate because of our past. But, I'm telling you that no matter what our past looks like, God asks us to believe in him and use our faith. As we do, God can use us to be a catalyst of change here and forever.

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 5:16; Romans 3:28; James 2:14; John 6:28

Prayer: Dear Lord, let my light shine before others, so that they may see my good works and give glory to You, amen.

May God bless you!

Brandi