Considered Righteous

James 2:25-26

We've made it. Today we look at our last point from this week's passage. James offers another example of faith in action from the beginning of the Old Testament. Yet, unlike the powerful patriarch of Abraham, the second example is a pagan prostitute, Rahab. If you are unfamiliar with Rahab's story, you can find it in beginning of the book of Joshua. The specific part that James refers to here is found in Joshua chapter two. Rahab was a pagan prostitute living in Jericho at the time Joshua sent two spies to evaluate land for the beginning of the conquest of Canaan. Rahab not only protects the spies, but offers a powerful statement of faith in the one true God of the Hebrews. She admits that the Lord God of Israel is the one true God and that He has given the land of Canaan to His people, the Israelites. It is one of the longest statements of faith in God made by a woman in the whole Bible! Again, James tells us that Rahab was "considered righteous" and we have to ask by whom? Like Abraham, I think the right way to read this is that she was "considered righteous" by the people of Israel then and now because of her actions. Her heart was considered righteous by God when she placed her faith in Him. That is a moment we as other humans can never really see in anyone else. We only look at the exterior of a person, but God sees into the heart. So, when we are talking about Rahab's outward actions of faith, and being considered righteous, it the people who view her as righteous for her actions. Like Abraham, Rahab had a moment of decision prior to the event in question and her sheltering of the spies was because of her faith, not the establishing of it. We should take a lesson from both Abraham's and Rahab's examples and act from a place of faith and realize that our behaviors should be motivate by our beliefs. 

Prayer:
God Almighty, You and You alone see my heart. You know that kind of faith I have even better than I do. Please help me to grow in my faith and direct my behaviors to follow it. Use me as an ambassador for Your love and grace in my family, friends, church, and community. Amen. 

Reflection: 
How do your behaviors reflect on your beliefs? 

How much influence do your behaviors have over your beliefs? 

What changes are you going to make this week to grow?