A traveler was walking along the shores of a large lake. When he saw a man with a canoe preparing to set sail, he struck up a conversation with him and found they were both going to the same place: the other side of the lake.
He asked for a ride, proposing to be the oarsman. He got into the canoe, picked up the wooden oars, and noticed that on them were carved two words: BELIEVE and ACT.
He had never rowed before, and quickly discovered that it’s not as easy as it sounds. The canoe kept circling, now to the left, now to the right.
The owner of the canoe, a very nice old man, tried not to be rude, but he could not contain his smile.
Finally, already tired, the traveler asks for help:
– Please, sir, how do I make this canoe go straight ahead?
The canoeman replied:
– The answer is in the oars. Believing and acting have to be driven at the same time and with the same strength.
James 2:17 says: “So, too, faith by itself, without works, is dead.”
We cannot say that we have faith if we do not practice what God says is right; in fact, faith without works is dead. This illustration shows that we must equally demonstrate both faith and works together.
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