I'm reading a secular book that's full of pungent and pithy comments that have much to say to us Christians. One of the chapters is titled: "We are what we do." One of my favorite preachers says "we practice daily what we believe...all the rest is just religious talk." ...The more you think about these sayings, the more uncomfortable it will make you.
The book goes on to say: "...When observing other people, we need to pay attention not to what they promise but how they behave." I agree! I've discovered that it's much more revealing to pay attention to the subtle, than the obvious; observing not so much what people want us to see but rather what is "leaking out" in other places. He says we are drowning in words, many of which turn out to not be true...lies we tell ourselves, and others.
As I've thought about these things, I realize we Christians profess much more than we do. We say we believe much more than we live out. Those who contemplate "joining us" are not fooled by our rhetoric.
More specifically... we believe in prayer but do we pray? How often? We believe it is noble to sacrifice but do we give ourselves gratituitously? We say we believe the Bible, but do we even read it [and if we do, how often]? We say we believe in biblical fellowship [our church name], communing and sharing in common with those of the faith, but in actuality, what boundaries have we drawn that compromise that essential church-life component? I could go on for quite a while but the pain on me alone is a bit more than I want to prolong. Lord, HELP us [me] to BE!
St. Francis of Assisi exhorted: "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words!
Just a few weeks ago I had to go to my neighbor and ask her to forgive me for saying I'd do something that I DIDN'T do. She knows who I am...where I work. I felt it imperative to go to her and acknowledge my failure. She was gracious but, I still walked away feeling I had compromised the Kingdom...it was painful.
Father God, cause our lives to agree with our words. Make us true on the outside to what we say is on the inside. That is what You are like, for your Word says you are faithful [or true] - How you act is exactly who You are and NOTHING will ever change about that. Father, make us like You.
In Jesus Name, Amen
