What are your Actions saying about your Faith?

I was reading James this morning, I love this book. I think I like it so much, because I need direct instructions. I guess I just need a lot of help with the obvious. During the past few months I have been rereading my bible and the things that I have underlined and written myself. I go back to the passages that stood out to me the most, read them, then read the commentary at the bottom of the page, about that passage. I use the Life Application Study Bible, I like to see more about the scripture and dig deeper into its meaning.

I read Chapters 1-3 this morning and they talk about your desires and faith with actions. Actually it talks about much more than just that, but this is what hit me the most. In the commentary it discusses further about how the book of James complements the book of Romans. James 2:18 states, "Now some may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." I say, "I cannot see your faith if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds." In Romans 3:28 it says, "We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." These verses may seem to contradict each other, but in reality they complement one another.

Good deeds will never earn you salvation, but true faith always results in a changed life. A changed life always produces good deeds. With this I can easily look back upon my life and discover when I really had true faith. Does this mean that I get everything right? Absolutely not. What am I producing, what am I centering my thought life around? If you question your faith, all you have to look upon is your fruit. Does an apple tree produce only good apples? No there are some apples that are spoiled before they ever hit the ground. No one can do good all of the time. But, you can look at your life and see what the main fruit that you are producing is. Every day you can see what is in your heart. Is there more turmoil in your life? Are you feeling like you have to do all of the heavy lifting? No matter what situation that you are in, do you feel empty? In order to have a good day, does everything have to go as you desire? Or can you find peace during the storms? What do you live in: chaos or peace? Is your house or car in a constant state of disaster? This is a good way to tell what your inner self looks like. Yet, others take this a different way, their outside looks very well kept, while their heart is full of anxiety. There is a balanced ground. It is never black or white, but what is the color that describes your existence?

Just the other day, I had a melt down. I do not know if it was because of my period, or if I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. All that I know is that I did not handle the day well, at all. Yesterday, however, was much better. I had been going on a path of tension and it took one really bad day to open my eyes to how I was really living. I woke up the next morning, yesterday, with a new outlook. I was renewed and refreshed. It can be a blessing to have one really bad day, to get you back on track. The question is not about a couple of bad days, or even a bad month. The question is, how are you living your life? I thank my God that I now can say that my life is much better and I am striving to live for him. Do I get every thing right? No. Am I moving forward, am I better than I was? Yes. Ask God to show you truth. Ask him to open your eyes to how you are really living. "What is the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions." What are your actions saying about your faith?