Several years ago, three of my daughters and I were water skiing in Uncle Tut’s boat when the outboard motor conked out.  He tried to start it several times, he fiddled with several adjustments, but nothing seemed to work.  It was getting late in the day.  There were no other boaters in the area.  He had no VHS radio, and it was a time before cell phones.  We just sat there unable to get back to the landing.  I started to silently pray that the motor would start.  Uncle Tut kept pulling at the starter cord, but nothing happened. 

I got a sense that I needed to pray out loud so Uncle Tut and my daughters could hear me.  As Tut was giving it another yank, I shouted, “Lord Jesus, start the engine!”  Varoom, the motor started right up.  Uncle Tut, who loved to tell stories, told this story for years – how my prayer started his outboard motor when nothing else could. 

Faith is incomplete without some kind of action.  We need to act on our faith for it to have an effect.  It usually requires that we be willing to risk failure, embarrassment, or disappointment. 

Have you noticed how often Jesus says to someone, “your faith has healed [saved] you?”  We see it with the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She pushed through a crowd encircling Jesus, hoping only to touch his cloak.  She said, “’If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”  Jesus, feeling power go out of him, turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” (Matthew 9:21-22)

We see it with Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, who the crowd attempted to silence as he cried out to Jesus who was passing by. (Mark 10:46-52)    We see it in the friends of a paralytic as they went to the extraordinary efforts of taking him up on a roof and lowering him down through the tiles in the middle of a crowd to get him to Jesus. (Luke 5:18-26)

In each of these instances it was the actions that people took based on their faith that brought forth a favorable response from Jesus.   

Every day we have opportunities to act on our faith.  If we see a questionable business practice, our faith in Christ should enable us to speak up for integrity.  If someone needs to talk, our faith should be willing to listen, and if the friend is discouraged, our faith should motivate us to provide encouragement.  If we see a need for healing, our faith should be willing to offer to pray with the person.  If we need healing, our faith should be willing to ask others to pray with us.  

Are you willing to act on your faith?