Living Out Our Faith

“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” James 2:17-26

In a small town in Europe, there is a strange old tower which carries a large clock face without any hands to show the hour. The clock is still good and sound - it is regularly wound up every week and has been going for many years, but owing to an ancient superstition, the hands on the outside of the dial were long ago removed and have never been replaced.

There it stands, a clock with no outward sign of whatever of its being so - a thing which might be a blessing to the whole town, but is instead of no use to anyone.

Alas, how many Christian souls with the grace of God really within them show little or nothing of that grace to the outside eye. Let us seek grace that we may always reflect our Father’s image and bring glory to Him.