Faith without works

Faith in Action ~ James 2: 14-26 (The Message) Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works? The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse. Where do I fall into all of this? What part do I play in the grand plan? I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, etc.....but who am I? I believe that I am exactly what God wants me to be RIGHT NOW: FORGIVEN, REPENTANT, BLESSED....and I pray that I will continue to change until the day I go home to heaven, everyday becoming the creature that He wants me to be, not what I want to be. I want to be a servant. I want to see every person in heaven someday. I want the Spirit to move me in ways only clear to God, I don't have to understand it. I am clay. I want to go out into all the world. I want to be a part of God saving the unsaved. I don't want the glory. I don't want it in print in the paper, a billboard, or the bulletin. I want Jesus to smile when He thinks of me. I think He already does ~ its like positive, visual reinforcement to picture that in my head. I want to see the look of DEFEAT on Satan's face when Jesus claims me as His own on Judgement Day. I want God to move me because I AM WILLING! I would like for anyone out there, reading this, to pray for me and my family. The things in this life are very good for us right now. We have noticed that when we think things are the best is usually when Satan strikes. We need to be brave and strong in God and in love for each other. Eric & I have recently made some plans....some bigger than others.....many of them stretch out over the next few years. I pray that it is God's will, not just my idea. I need God's approval or the plans will be for nothing, even if they do happen. Making something happen because YOU want it so badly, doesn't mean that it is blessed. There are times when God stops your plan dead in its tracks, then, sometimes, He allows it to happen but isn't "in your corner." To me, I don't want ANYTHING if God doesn't give it to me. MY GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME! ALL THE TIME, MY GOD IS GOOD!