For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)
I took a lesson once from the head professional at my club because I wanted to learn how to hit a controlled hook. I wanted to learn the controlled hook, so I could get out of trouble after I hit an uncontrolled hook. I had the uncontrolled hook down pat—so pat I could hit it without even trying.
So, he took me down to the end of the range so I couldn’t kill anyone. He then had me set up with a closed stance and a strong grip, both of which made sense. But then he told me to turn the toe of the club toward where I wanted the ball to finish and swing normally. Now, I consider myself a rational man, but this made no sense to me. I was sure the ball would go straight into my left foot.
But I figured he was the pro and must know what he was talking about. So, I decided to trust him and give it a go. Sure enough, I hit the biggest, most beautiful rope hook—is that an oxymoron? —you could imagine. Then I did it again. And again. I never knew a rope hook could be so beautiful.
I chuckle when I hear non-believers talk about faith as if it were strictly a religious proposition. Do you ever eat out? You go to a restaurant and order food from people you don’t know, who tell other people you can’t see to prepare it. You don’t know if they’ve washed their hands, spit in the food, or what they’ve put in it. Then the server sets the plate before you and you eat it without a second thought.
Faith is more than just intellectual assent. It requires that we act. As the Bible says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). If we don’t act on what the Lord is instructing us to do, our faith remains merely theoretical.
If I had listened to my golf teacher’s instructions on how to hit a controlled hook but never pulled the trigger, I’d still be wondering if he really knew what he was talking about.
We learn that it’s better to give than to receive by giving rather than receiving. We learn that serving is more effective than commanding by serving rather than commanding. And we learn that forgiveness is better than judging by forgiving rather than judging. Obedience is what gives legs to faith.
Such are the workings of faith, and in the end, it can help us not only escape the trees but avoid the Lake.
Lord, help me to demonstrate my faith in You by my obedience. Amen.