Practicing Our Faith | Rev. Brooke Hartman

Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying, “What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.”  This applies to our faith as well.  Our faith, our trust, and dependence on God can be relegated to our beliefs, doctrines, and principles, yet never applied to our everyday life.  The author of James challenges that faith is not merely knowing but in acting through faith.  At times, the book of James can be accused of countering Paul’s words about faith not being about works.  This is true that our faith is not about earning, or acting enough to earn God’s grace and love.  The other piece is that as Christians, we are called to live out our faith through actions.  Faith is not solely intellectual; it is practical.  We can know all about God’s word, yet we are called to practice our faith within the world, within our relationships at home, work, school, and the “marketplace”. 

Scripture - James 1:19-25; 2:14