faith, works, and action

"God helps those who help themselves."

I've faced this statement before and immediately dismissed it as advocating a works-based salvation. But recently, God's been opening my eyes of the importance of faith in action.

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:17)

I know why it rubs me the wrong way. I see the situation, I know I cannot overcome it by my own strength, and I cannot possibly bear to think that God would demand something of me that was impossible of my own means. So I turn away, rebel, reject God, and make the excuse that salvation is not about works.

As a causative statement, "God helps those who help themselves" is heretical. We would be saying, "If I help myself, God will help me." It is not because we help ourselves that God helps us. We did not take the initiative. God took the initiative and sent His Son Jesus to die for us. "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6).

But as a descriptive statement, I do believe that it is true that when God is helping someone, they have the strength to get on their feet and run with faith. Perhaps more like, "When God is helping someone, they find the strength to help themselves." The Biblical definition of faith is below:

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Something that amazed me this past week was the part of this verse that says "he rewards those who seek him." I realized that faith requires an earnest seeking, an effort on our part to be true. No one who refuses to move can be called a man of faith.

The people who sit and do nothing are almost as bad as the people who try to do everything on their own. They do not believe God can change their situation, so they say, "What's the use? God's in control anyway, and things aren't gonna change." A failure to believe God will reward those who earnestly seek Him, that He is good. They are paralyzed. I have been paralyzed for so much of my life.

As for those who try to do it all on their own, reality just hasn't hit yet. Reality that with man all things are impossible, but with God all things are possible. When I think this, I can only pray that God humbles me.

This truth amazes me and yet makes me tremble in fear. Because I realize that to live a life of faith is to live a life of the impossible, and I know I am not capable of it. I cannot guarantee the future but only hope that God is near and that He leads me through. It's exciting.