What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
With a larger-than average size family we try to find many ways to cut the many small costs that add up over the course of the year. Usually these are simple things that I can do to save on our family's budget in order to be able to stretch one income. Sometimes that means learning a new skill and taking on more tasks/responsibilities that we would otherwise pay someone else to do. I am happy to do these things if it means that I can stay home with my children. Learning to do new things, even challenging things, is an adventure and is often a step of faith, an area where God is growing us to trust Him more.
I have been cutting Nic's hair since we were in college - he taught me how himself with absolutely no formal training. I also cut our children's hair with an occasional touch up elsewhere when necessary. Sometimes this is a frightening task for me because I lack confidence and training in the skill of hair-cutting, but I am learning and they are patient and the hair always grows back! Like other home-making skills, I am finding joy in learning and doing these things together with our Colombian Brewed.
This weekend, being in great need of a hair cut, Nic decided to lighten my work-load and teach our oldest son how to cut hair. It was a tremendous adventure in growing trust, taking direction, and being secure in a relationship when you make mistakes that impact another person. (Can you imagine cutting the hair of your new dad and realizing that your uneducated mistakes will impact him when he goes to church tomorrow and to work the next day and the next, and the next? Can you imagine how hard it is to learn that someone you just met will love you unconditionally and that you don't have to get it right in order to be loved?) I have to credit Nic with incredible patience, love, and forbearance, because I could not have sat so calmly with my head under the clippers while instructing a sixteen year old how to cut my hair! In the end our newest barber only uttered "oops" a few times and there was very little I needed to fix before the guys swept up all the mess.
I chose the passage above because watching Nic teach our son how to cut hair was more than just a simple lesson in the life skill of hair-cutting or money-saving for large families. It was a lesson in trusting, in unconditional love, and in receiving instruction from a father who loves his children. It was a lesson on faith and works, works that are sometimes (oftentimes) costly. It is one thing to say that you care about the plight of the orphan, simply wishing the orphan to be warm and well fed and cared for by the orphanage caretakers. It is something totally different to put that faith into action and do something about it, something that will cost you financially, emotionally, or physically. Many don't realize the cost, but God says that these precious children are worth every precious penny, tear, and drop of blood and grief spent for them because He cares about them (James 1:26-27, John 14:18). And what good is faith without works? Because faith without works is dead.
I am rejoicing today in a husband with a decent hair cut, a son who is learning to trust, and a Heavenly Father who teaches us costly lessons and who wants so much more for us than that we simply be warm and well fed.
No comments:
Post a Comment