James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead."

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (James 2:26)

Question:

I just want a better understanding of what it means to “work.” Does this verse mean that we must be busy doing some specific task to prove we are faithful to God? For example, I have been praying for financial help (due to unemployment, caregiving duties for my parents, working to avoid foreclosure, etc.). I have tried to manage my parents’ incomes to cover expenses, but it just isn’t enough. I played the lottery for a few weeks in a row now. I really felt God urging me to try this option. Does playing the lottery count as me working to demonstrate my faith?

Comment:

I believe I wrote you last week concerning the same question as expressed in another verse in James. What James means—and it is repeated a number of times in the brief letter—is that it is not enough to pray to God and then sit back and wait for results. Eric Butterworth, an outstanding Unity minister, used to say that God cannot do for us what God cannot do through us. The power we seek is already present within us, and we must be willing to be its means of expression. Of course there is work necessary to deal with problems on the human level. But in order to resolve the problems we must rise above the level of consciousness at which the problems exist. We must be willing to see the Presence of the Divine in every challenge—to steadily and joyfully affirm “Show me the Good!” in absolute assurance that, since everything abides in the energy of God, there is a good available in every challenge if we are willing to see it properly.

So if you are buying lottery tickets out of a sense of fear or lack, you can be sure that guidance does not come from God. If you buy the tickets for fun and as a contribution to the flow of good in the universe, wonderful things can happen. But there are no guarantees the good will include winning the lottery. What’s important to remember, affirm and truly believe is that Good is our Source always. Paychecks are not our source, lotteries are not our source, and unexpected inheritances from unknown distant relatives are not our source. God is our Source.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed