His actions made his faith complete.

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Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. -James 2:21-26 NLT

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That last verse speaks to me about the nature of faith in the life of a believer. Faith is the air that we breathe. It is what made Abraham, Rahab and everyone else right with God. Yet this kind of faith is not invisible in the sense that actions always accompany it and make it complete. The truth is that actions always follow faith or a lack of faith.

Consider those who Jesus considered great in faith. He called the centurion's faith 'great' when he believed God would heal his servant before Jesus even came under his roof. Or think about how he called 'great' the faith of a gentile woman who would not be refused when she asked for her daughter to be healed. Sometimes just the act of prayer is evidence of faith within. God called Abraham his friend because he acted in faith. We are his friends when we act in like manner.

We come in need of courage Lord. Help us to respond in the faith that you have planted deep within us.

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