Faith Works

I'll never forget the last day of swimming lessons when it was time to jump off the diving board into the deep water.  I remember sizing up the frightening length of the diving board and feeling I was about to "walk the plank." Graduating just didn't seem quite as important to me as it did Mom and the swimming instructor.  I totally content to gamble that the knowledge gained was all I would ever need!

 

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for."  God's greatest lessons of faith come when we leave the safety of the shore ... our comfort zone.  What if Noah had refused to build the ark?  What if Abraham had ignored God's call and stayed in Haran?  What if Moses had remained shaking in his sandals instead of leading God’s people to freedom?  In all these men, we see faith-at-work, faith that didn’t stand still but took obedient action.  All men exercised their faith; they walked “by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Noah built an ark [as the world laughed at him], Abraham left Haran [without a clue where he was going], and Moses traded tending stubborn sheep for leading [stubborn] people.  Well, I jumped off the diving board [like a big girl] and swam to the side of the pool.  Mom and the instructor cheered, and I graduated with Tadpole honors!  When we let faith do its work, we demonstrate to the world just how great God is.  A working faith is more than head and heart knowledge, and it’s more than just believing.  It is putting that faith into practice -- taking risks and trusting God for the results.  Faith works ... why not just work it!