As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26 NIV)
According to my recollections from elementary school grammar, a verb is a part of speech that conveys and action. It is an action word. it is peharps the most important part of a sentence because it says something about what the subject of the sentence is up to.
In my study of faith, I have noticed that even though faith is a noun grammatically it is actually a verb literally. Faith is a verb by definition. It is n action motivated by the word of God. Faith is never static. It always does something.
A quick survey of scriptures on those who were commended for the demonstration of their faith will illustrate my point. Hebrews 11 is a partial list of such people. I call the book the hall of fame of faith. You will notice as you read through that each hero of faith mentioned was an ordinary person who dared to act in response to a word they received from God. The verbs used let's us know what they did. Read Hebrews 11 and you will notice the following.
God commanded And the universe was made
Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice
Enoch walked with God and pleased him
Noah moved with fear to build an ark
Abraham obeyed and went even though he had no idea where he was going, lived in tents and looked forward to a city builded by God
Sarah considered God faithful after menopause and received strength to conceive
Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice, trusting that God would raise him up
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding their future
Jacob blessed Joseph's sons
Joseph spoke about the future exodus of Israel and his bones with them
Moses's parents hid him, saw his destiny and were courageous
Moses refused the status of prince, chose to suffer affliction, esteemed the reproach of Christ better that the treasures of Egypt. He left Egypt. He persevered as one seeing the invisible. He kept the Passover, applying the blood for the protection of Israel.
Israel passed through the red sea
They marched around the walls of Jericho seven days
Rahab the prostitute, welcomed the spies
The list goes on to include those who fought wars and conquered kingdoms, refused to compromise and received miracles of deliverance, those who suffered refusing to accept deliverance, who prayed and received their dead raised back to life etc.
Then it talked about Jesus who endured the shame of the cross because of the joy he say ahead.
We also see in the ministry of Jesus
Lepers who were cleansed by obeying Jesus' command to show themselves to the priest
The paralyzed who were healed by obeying and carrying their beds
Those who broke the roof of a house to get their friends to Jesus
People who walked days to get Jesus to speak a word over their dying servants or children
As you can see, faith is an action. It is like a coin with two sides. One side is belief, the other is action. It takes both sides to make it the legal tender to receive the transfer of spiritual values and substance from the heavenly realms into this world.
As James 2: 14-25 says, "faith without action is dead." it is incomplete, inoperative and does not go far enough. Actions are the evidence of faith. They are the soul and the spirit of belief. They keep belief from being a corpse.
So my question to you today is: "What's your verb?" What is that step you need to take in response to what God has spoken to you? It doesn't have to be a giant step. It only has to be a step. Is it to pray more, go to school, forgive, repent, join a church, put out more resumes, end a wrong relationship, start a relationship, refuse a job promising job offer, accept another offer, get married, give a sacrificial offering, start a business, quit your job, start volunteering, begin a ministry, build a family, bless your children deliberately rather than curse them, train your children, refuse to compromise your values, show hospitality, suffer for Christ's sake, love your spouse, change location, rejoice in trouble, persevere in hardship, be inconvenienced for his sake, give to the poor, leave your profession or possessions for his call, help a brother or sister in need, or speak about your future?
Whatever your "verb" is, it is only as you step out and do it would you be enlisted in the army of those commended by God and who tap into his unlimited faithfulness for their lives and for their future generations. What steps will your faith take today?
Decision of the Day
I will do something in response to God's word. I will act today and not delay. I will demonstrate my own "verb" of faith.
