Faith Without Works?

I’ve been reading James lately for a couple of Bible studies I’m leading, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what he says in his letter, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17) Non-Christians realize this truth when they see some Christians saying one thing and doing another. Christians are often thought of as hypocrites for this very reason. Perhaps more sinister, however, is the problem we run into when we have faith, pray on Sunday or at certain times of the day, but then spend most of our days unconscious of our faith. We have faith, but we may lack an ever-present awareness of our faith so that our faith does not influence our daily actions. I think James’ words again hold true, that faith which doesn’t influence our daily actions and decisions is also a dead faith. Consider the life of your faith. Is your faith alive and well, or is it possibly on life support? Does your faith influence your life at school, at home, with your friends? If not, then be bold with your faith. Get it off life support and allow it to breathe life into you. Live your faith in action, hour by hour, minute by minute. Seek guidance from Jesus, and let his love show through you.