“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)  The Bible puts lots of emphasis on faith (trusting God), but it also demands some pretty concrete actions.  Whether we do them or not is how we will be judged.  Jesus said: “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, and in prison and you did not visit me.” (Matthew 25:41-42)

The tension between faith and works – whether we are saved by believing or by doing is a question that Christians have debated from the very beginning.  Once, while discussing this question with a friend, he offered this wise response: “if I was out on a lake and my boat sprang a leak, I’d pray towards heaven and row towards shore.” 

What my friend described was synergy:  God working in us and us working with God.  God’s love and mercy surrounds all of it.  God works in us to turn our hearts and wills to God so that we might work with God.  Just believing stuff about God is not the same as letting God move in us and change the way we think and act.  Sometimes, doing God’s will is a matter of stepping aside and letting God influence our attitudes and appetites.  Sometimes, doing God’s will is a matter of getting up on our feet and getting our hands dirty as we care for the poor, the stranger, the sick and the imprisoned.  God works within us to enable us to work as a partner with God to transform the world.  I have faith in that.

Prayer:  God of grace and grit, you touch our hearts and lay claim to our hands to work for your Kingdom.  Soften our hearts and put calluses on our hands that we might be fit for your service.  Amen.