A Distinction, I Think, Between Physical Work and Mental Work in the Epistle of James

Here is evidence we need to correct each other when our interpretation of scripture goes astray:

I was influenced by my forty years of conservative Christian seminary-trained Evangelical understanding of "works" in the epistle of James. Works are our contribution toward acquiring, accomplishing, or achieving what we desire -- what we have faith for. I looked at a number of teachers and noted that some said to work for what you want, and others said do nothing. I was influenced to mis-define 'work.'

Ronnie James Osbourne contacted me through the comments section and pointed out my error. In "A Distinction, I Think, Between Abdullah, Murphy and Goddard, and Napoleon Hill, Stone, etc." (http://imagicworldview.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-distinction-i-think-between-abdullah.html), I said, "Hill and Stone, et al, spoke well of imagining. And they emphasized our human contribution, the  effort we need to put forth to get things done: 'Faith without works is  dead.' Maybe I am missing something, but didn't Abdullah, Goddard and Murphy  imagine as praying and entrust God to do the work? Not that they did not  work, but their 'work' was their ministry--learning and teaching."

Ronnie corrected me: "'Works' Is Putting 'Prayer' (Imagination) To Action. You Do Not Just Be A 'Hearer' Of The Word, And Believe...You Must Put It To The Test For It To Work."

Yup, I blew it. Christians are misled by an example given in James 2: 15 through 17, "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, 'Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled'; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit?" We fail to see that this is an EXAMPLE of a physical action that is COROLLARY to the subject, which is mental action. When James says, "Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone," "even so" means in like manner; he is saying, "Just as that situation requires physical work, this situation requires mental work." Doing the Word is mental, but it must be done, just as helping someone out physically must be done to bear fruit.

James is speaking about doing the Word, not physical works. "The Word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may DO it" (Deuteronomy 30: 14, emphasis mine). What is in your mouth and heart? Your love of God (Deuteronomy 30: 6). Because everything is Him, you love everything and think well FOR everything and everyone -- you mentally DO that love. Believe God's best, and IMAGINE God's best.

So I responded in the comments section, "Thank you, Ronnie. Point well made and point well taken. My slip-up, as I misread scripture influenced from seminary point of view. For those not familiar with the distinction, according to the standard interpretation, 'Faith without works is dead' would mean that you must augment your faith with active, physical involvement; i.e., real physical work to accomplish what you have faith for. You both have to believe it is done and do it, too, because by faith it is 'do-able.' Ronnie is making the distinction that you must believe it is done -- received complete in faith -- and actively imagine it so, also. The 'work' in James is to intensely and vividly enter and experience the imagined desired 'end' of what you have faith for. You do not just believe it in faith, you must actively imagine the consequence of it as realized" (edited).