Deeds

“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is great to show our love for God with our words.  Our words, however, will have very little impact if our actions do not match.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  (James 1:22 NIV)

This makes sense if you think about it for a minute.  It's one thing to read a part of Scripture and understand what it says.  Take this Scripture as an example:

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' (Matthew 6:31 NIV)

Reading this verse, we can pretty easily understand what it is saying.  Jesus is the one speaking, as my red-lettered Bible indicates.  He's telling us not to worry about the basic necessities of life.  He then goes on to explain that pagans (non-believers) worry about these things.  He also points out that when we seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, God takes care of providing for these things.  We don't need to worry.

It's another thing to memorize this verse of Scripture so we can quote it to someone else.  Maybe we memorize the next two verses as well, so we have the whole meaning of Jesus' teaching here.  Perhaps we know how to quote it word for word.  We reflect our love for God through our words.

When you lose your job, though, and you are not able to make the utility bill, how do you react?  What does your life look like when the mortgage payments simply cannot be made so the house is in foreclosure or the car is being repossessed?  

Let's go in the other direction.  What are you really saying about your faith when you keep moving the line further down the field of financial security?  I need x dollars in my savings account to be comfortable.  I need such and such amount of life insurance, auto insurance, or house insurance.  I need to get my 401k filled to this dollar amount so I can retire and know I'm taken care of for the rest of my life.  "Wait a minute," someone may ask, "didn't you say you trust God to take care of you?"  Actions really do speak louder than words.

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. (James 1:23-24 NIV)

We cannot forget what walking with God looks like.  Our love for God needs to be more than just our words.  It must be reflected in our deeds as well.  We cannot just work and take credit for our success, we must trust God for His provision.  We cannot just pick and choose the parts we want to follow.  Our love for God should result in our following Him everywhere, all the time, and in every way.  Remember, Jesus told us that we love Him when we obey His commands.  Our love for Him shows up in our deeds.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. (James 2:18 NIV)