Faith Requires Action

This morning I spent part of my quiet time reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. If you haven't read it yet-- get it and read it.

A few sentences spoke directly to me and challenged my faith:

"If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream. Or, to use a metaphor more familiar to city people, we are on a never-ending downward escalator. In order to grow, we have to turn around and sprint up the escalator, putting up with the perturbed looks from everyone else who is gradually moving downward. I believe that much of the American churchgoing population, while not specifically swimming downstream, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn't a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ."

After reading that, I began questioning what propels me toward Christ. My faith in Him alone is not adequate by itself, it requires action.

James 2:17 says, "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

My prayer is that I never have a dead faith; that I am continually propelled toward Christ through a manifestation of a real and active faith.

My prayer is that, because of my faith in action, people look at me with "perturbed" glances just as they would a man sprinting up an escalator.

My prayer is that people are challenged by my love for Christ, displayed through action, and are motivated to turn and run up the escalator alongside me in pursuit of that same love.

God deserves nothing less.