Put Words and Belief into Action

          When I was a little girl, I wanted to learn to play the piano.  I believed I could be very good at this so my mother arranged for a wonderful lady, Mrs. Hahn, to be my teacher.  She was very precise in her methods and in addition to learning a piece on the piano, we also had to memorize a paragraph about the composer.  Most of the music was classical, and I lost interest.  After just two years, I quit my lessons.  I had learned to read music and could play a tune or two, but I had little desire to practice on a daily basis.  I believed I could do it, but I failed to practice and this was my downfall.  Belief plus practice leads to success in both musical studies as well as our Christian walk.

     Recently, I attended an event where I talked with a number of people.  The conversation came around to whether a certain person had faith in Christ.  Someone spoke up and said, "Of course, they are a believer."  I pondered over that remark.  Just saying you believe is not enough.  Life evidence goes along with the belief.  We must practice what we believe or we are just uttering platitudes.  For example, my husband is a practicing optometric physician.  This means he is putting into effect all he was trained to do when diagnosing and treating vision problems.  He also continues to study on a yearly basis so he can grow in knowledge and improve his "practice".  I feel that this is also the way Christians need to think of their walk with Christ.  We need to be practicing followers of the Lord not just "believers".
     James writes these words in his letter to the Church in Jerusalem:  "But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.'  Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe - and shudder!" (James 2:18-19).  James then goes on to point out that Abraham was justified by works when he obeyed God to offer up his son Isaac.  Verses 22-24 read:  "You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' - and he was called a friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."
     While these verses in James have created some controversy and misunderstanding, I find in them a balance.  James makes it clear that faith motivates us to good works.  Abraham put feet to his faith by obeying God and doing what the Lord instructed him to do with his son Isaac.  Today, "easy believe-ism" would have us think that putting our faith into practice by doing good works is not necessary.  However, that leads to an empty faith.  As James wrote, "even the demons believe - and shudder!"  It is one thing to say, "I am a believer".  It is another thing to live it out on a daily basis.
     My mother's favorite advice to me was "Actions speak louder than words."  She was right.  What

we believe in our heart should be put into practical application in our daily activities.  If we never attend church, do not read our Bible or pray, we ought to ask ourselves if we have given our lives in commitment to Christ.  If we see a friend or family member who says they believe but never demonstrates their faith, then, in love, we need to sit down and talk with them.  Belief in Christ plus good works done as a result of grateful obedience for what Christ has done for us equals a powerful witness that others can see.  We are, after all, to glorify God by our good deeds.
     Words are cheap.  it is easy to say we believe something, but so do the demons.  If we claim to be a part of Christ's household, let our actions also demonstrate our changed heart.  Let us practice what we preach!  Selah - Soli Deo Gloria!

Walking with Integrity

     One of the things I cherish most in my memories of my father is his abiding integrity.  He was a man who could be trusted with a handshake to seal a deal.  He felt it was the duty of a man to keep his word, and he never disappointed me.  Integrity is one of the hallmarks of the Christian character.
     As we face another election cycle, I always find it interesting to not only follow the candidates but also the fact checker sites to see if what they said was correct or a major departure from the truth.  We do not need people to tickle our ears with sweet sounding promises, but instead, we need men and women of integrity to lead out of a desire to serve others.  Of course, I have no illusions to the fact that we all have a sin nature.  Perfection is not yet attained for Christians on this side of heaven.  However, I believe the Lord wants our words and our walk to match, and He indicates this in His Word.
     When Solomon wrote Proverbs, he displayed God's great wisdom.  Look, with me, at four

verses which speak of integrity.  Proverbs 10:9 says:  "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out."  If we are an honest person, we don't have to cover our tracks, make up stories and then try to remember what we said so we won't be found out.  There is wisdom and security in that path.  Yet,  the other part of this picture shows us a person whose ways are crooked, and God says he will be found out.  Our sins will ALWAYS come to light.  Maybe it will not be immediately, but nothing is hidden before God.  Eventually, people learn the truth as well.
     A second reference to integrity comes from Proverbs 11:3 which reads:  "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."  Again, we see a great contrast between to philosophies of living.  The person who is honest receives guidance from God, but the individual who is treacherous in their dealings finds destruction.  Sin may look glamorous for a season, but in the end, it destroys the person who plays with it.
     In Proverbs 19:1, Solomon writes:  "Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool."  This is quite a statement from a King who reigned in wealth and riches.  He says clearly in this verse that integrity is far better than wealth.  The person who is crooked in speech is a fool.  He may gain the whole world, but as Scripture tells us, he might lose his soul in the process (Mark 8:36).
     A final verse in Proverbs comes from chapter 20:7 which says:  "The righteous who walks in his integrity - blessed are his children after him!"  Do you want your children to be blessed?  Then, walk in integrity.  What a great promise from God!  Certainly, my father influenced my life as I watched him walk in his integrity.  This character quality was something I also looked for in a husband when the time came for that momentous decision.  I am blessed to say that I married a man who values honesty as did my father, and both of us strive to follow the greatest example which is the Lord.
     We know from Scripture that Jesus came to bring the truth and open the eyes of those blinded by sin.  His honesty nailed Him to the cross for those in sin cannot stand the light of truth; yet He willingly gave His life that we might be free from sin and death.  As He clearly told us, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).  It is our Savior who beckons us to live holy lives and walk in integrity before the Father.  May we take seriously this calling that as others see honesty in us they may glorify our Father in heaven and be drawn to Him.  Selah!

Living Corem Deo (Before the Face of God)

     We live in an age of communication.  Cell phones, text messaging, "tweets", Instagram, "Facebook", "Kindle" readers and other devices make reaching out an easy thing to do.  Public networking sites  make it simple to keep in touch with family and friends by exchanging pictures and sharing stories or videos.  Sometimes we enjoy reading what is happening in the life of a friend and sometimes it is "too much information".  While all of this seems like fun and a great way to keep up to date, there are several things that we need to keep in mind as believers.

     In his letter to the believers at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul penned solid instructions for the church in terms of keeping the unity of the body and in dealing one with another.  He instructs them to put away falsehood (Ephesians 4:25) and then in verses 29-32 he expands on the area of communication:  "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the

occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  This is how we will show the world that we belong to Christ!  When we put off the old self, we are to wear these new garments of change that should affect every area of our lives...especially how we communicate with one another.

     I have seen on blogs, news groups and other Internet places some pretty nasty things being written by people at times.  Of course, the hard part about the written word is that you do not have the person there in front of you to see the expression on their face or hear the tone in their voice.  Many times, people take the written word the wrong way as well.  That is one area my mother frequently warned me about when I was growing up.  She always encouraged me to talk face to face with another person rather than write a note which could be taken the wrong way.  It has proven to be good advice.  Therefore, as believers, I think we have to look at all the public avenues of communication and make a decision to reflect God's grace in the things we say.  We need to ask ourselves if what we are about to share on "Facebook" or in a tweet will build others up or tear them down.  Is our language appropriate so that if Jesus were to read it, He would approve?    Remember the Scripture above.  We are to put away falsehood, slander, wrath and malice.  We are to give grace through our words whether spoken or written.  So, whether we like it or not, all the public ways we communicate are part of our total witness for Christ.

     Perhaps the greatest concern we should have as followers of Christ is the amount of time we spend in these public forms of communicating as versus the time we spend talking to God.  We do not need a wireless connection, cell phone or other assistance to reach out and touch God.  He is there all the time waiting to hear our cries and concerns.  He desires to have sweet communion with us, but I often think we neglect talking to Him and spend more time asking the opinions of our peers.  He should be the first One we talk to in the morning and the last One we say good-night to in the evening.  I personally believe that the time we spend on the "net" or on the cell phone far outweigh the time we spend in prayer before Him.  The sad part is that our friends, family or co-workers cannot solve our problems.  They can listen for certain, but they do not have the wisdom that God has.  He has planned our lives and knows the best course of action for us.  Therefore, it would seem to make sense to pray and tell Him our hurts, worries, concerns and pain.  David certainly did this in the Psalms.  He poured out his heart to God...both good and bad.  David revealed his heart to the only One who could change it.  Likewise, our Lord Jesus Christ took time out of his daily schedule to get away and pray.  His example is plain for us to see.

     I know I certainly enjoy keeping in touch with family and friends on Facebook myself.  It is great to be able to see pictures of those I do not get to see very often.  Yet, I must remember two crucial things as we all need to do:  Watch what we say that it may reflect Christ and His love and secondly, remember that God needs to be the person we talk to first.  He should not get our left over time.  If we keep our lives in balance, we will be a blessing to others and a glory to God.  Let us begin living out loud in a way that will lead others to Jesus Christ!  Selah!