Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

CRITICAL DIMENSIONS

In building the huge Arch of St. Louis, dimensions were so critical that surveyors had to work at night when the temperatures on all three walls were the same. Each measurement had to be exact. In pouring the foundation of either leg, a mistake of only 1/64 of an inch would have been disastrous. That difference in the angle of the top of each foundation would be multiplied until the two fingers reaching toward the sky would have failed to meet. All of the careful work was worth it, and the Arch today is a fitting monument to the opening of the West and the ingenuity of man.

Like the two towers of the Arch, faith and works reach toward each other. In church history, there have been miscalculations as to the importance of each. Some emphasized works so much that the Reformation had to call Christendom back to faith. On the other hand, mere faith is not enough, James said. Both legs of the tower must meet for the structure to be complete.

Theologians will continue to disagree on the proper balance of faith and works. While the battle rages, we laymen merely need to ask God's Holy Spirit to help us maintain a proper balance of faith and works. Faith and works can be combined in proper proportion, making our lives monuments of blessings.