James’ golden thread of doing is not finished by a long shot. He will hit that nail on the head a few times more. But I suspect he does it because we easily fall back into our old way of doing things and then don’t see the effect of our faith.

I must say I can see Chris’ faith in this story:

Years ago, someone gave me part of a small company for free in exchange for managing it for them. It was about 150km from home, and I could only get home on weekends.

I got there early one morning in May. All the workers were waiting for me outside. It was cold, and one was wearing nothing but a shirt. Immediately, I had this feeling that I should give my windbreaker to him.

He overflowed with gratitude.

As was their habit, we started the day with prayer. I prayed for them every morning until they told me one day that they usually took turns.

So, we continued doing that. However, Isaac never prayed. So, I suspected that he knew about God but did not believe.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, I started reading a Bible verse and saying some words about it every day.

Little did I know what a huge impact that small gesture would have on Isaac.

About a month later, he asked if I had a spare Bible. He and his wife wanted to read the verses in the evenings and talk about them.

I was speechless and with tears in my eyes, so I promised to bring him a Bible.

That Sunday, I bought a Pedi Bible at church and gave it to Isaac on Monday.

Sometimes, small actions lead to significant results.

I left them seven years ago; I’m a pensioner now. But I believe Isaac and his wife still enjoy their relationship with God.

I’d never taken off my jacket and given it to someone else, but that’s what Chris had done because he’d been sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In his ordinary way, he simply read from the Bible and conveyed his understanding to the men.

The impact was huge.

That’s faith in action. That’s faith making a difference. That’s true faith.

¹⁸You 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.

Chris is undoubtedly proof of this.

Scripture
James 2:14-26

Reflection
What does your faith look like?
What do your actions look like?
Are they aligned?

Prayer
Father, thank you that I may believe in You. Thank you for everything You do for me. Help me align my actions with my faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.