Genuine Faith and Works

        Many people struggle to bridge the gap between faith and works. In one service, they're told they're saved by faith alone, only to be confused when they're told they're not saved if they don't "live right." This gap isn't as vast as some think. Hopefully, since I'm going on less than 6 hours of sleep over the last two days, I can string some words together and form something resembling an understandable thought.
        I'll start with an illustration my wife had that I thought was brilliant: a tree. When the wind blows, the branches sway and move. This really vividly captures faith and works in my opinion. Good works just naturally follow genuine faith.
        I personally think that this is true even in non-spiritual things. When I visited the grand canyon, I avoided going too close to the edge. This was because I believed with all of my heart that if I fell, I would die or suffer severe injury. My faith in that fact manifested itself in my behavior. Some daringly approach the edge. They have great faith in their own ability to not slip or stumble. Belief breeds action, end of story.
        This is no different with our faith in Christ. In my wife's illustration, the wind causes the branches to move. This represents our belief causing action in our lives. It has incredible implications, I believe. For one, if the branches are not moving, it can only mean that there is no wind. In literal terms, if there is no behavioral evidence for faith in Christ, it can only mean that there is no faith to be evidenced. But realizing only this half of the illustration holds some danger.
        Once I gave my life to Christ, a struggle began. I wanted to change for My Lord. I wanted to be holy for Him. This is completely natural and wanted. If you love your wife, you want to get her a gift, or take her out to eat. When we live holy, we live our lives to The Lord. It's a beautiful romance. But in my journey, I hit a wall. In my mind, I could not be good enough. I couldn't read my bible enough, or pray enough, or minister enough, or be in church enough, and the list went on.
        It wasn't long before I began to grade my closeness to God by the amount of good works I could muster. Basically, I was shaking the tree and trying to claim there was wind, instead of trying to cultivate my relationship with the One from whom the wind comes.
        So I want to encourage you: Jesus Christ is your righteousness. Focus your energy on loving Christ, and having a real relationship with Him. If you love Him and get to know Him, you'll begin to care about the things He cares about. Light and darkness cannot coexist. More of one means less of the other. Instead of trying to vanquish the darkness in your life, draw near to God. He will fill you with the light of His love.