Faith, Works, and Burnout

James 2:26
September 29, 1999

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

The human body is only a shell that cannot be alive without the spirit. As much as science tries, they cannot locate the spirit. It is a mysterious entity, obvious when missing yet elusive when present.

Faith is also abstract and if Paul were writing a perfect parallel he might have said deeds without faith is dead. Deeds are the shell that can be seen, like a body. Faith is the elusive thing, impossible to detect. But on second thought, Paul's order is not wrong.

Life is not simply a spirit but requires a body for its expression. Life is not simply a body but requires a spirit for its motivation. A Christian is not just faith but requires deeds for expression. A Christian is not just good deeds but requires faith for motivation. The two cannot be separated.

What's the point? For me, tired from the conference and wondering if my life needs pruning, this analogy is helpful. What motivates me to do what I am doing? Are my deeds faith-motivated or does something else drive me? Is my faith alive in them?

Someone once said we ought to live in such a way that our lives cannot be explained apart from faith. In other words, what am I doing that depends on faith (and on God) to do it? Can I use that to measure my life?

Right now, the strain of our ICWF conference, the burdens of preparation for FBS and LMO are raising questions. This is too much. I want time for family and other pursuits. I want time for me and to get enough sleep. I turned off the TV and gained a couple hours to do bookkeeping but I woke very tired and wished I'd slept instead.

Lord, help me properly evaluate what I do that my life might be effective in the plan that You have for me. A day of retreat and rest will be nice. I know one is coming in November. I don't know if I can wait that long. I need Your blessing on this before I burn myself out.