They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what is a
video worth? So much can be known just by watching a person. Of course we
aren’t saved by what we do, but how much about a person’s faith and beliefs are
revealed in what they do?
Luke 6:43-45 New American
Standard Bible (NASB) (emphasis added)
For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on
the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit.
For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar
bush. The good man out
of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man
out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his
mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
What we do shows what we believe. If we are selfish and
worldly, our actions will show it. Of course there are those who are good at
hiding their true character, who can act the part, but their true colors will
eventually shine through. It doesn’t matter how much a person attends church,
how many charitable acts they perform, or how perfect their life seems, their
true nature can be seen by those who are closest to them. They may be able to
deceive acquaintances, but not those who know them well.
Many people, though, are deceived themselves. They think
that because they go to church regularly and live basically moral lives, that
that is good enough. Yet, they don’t pay attention to their character, nor do
they even pay attention to God throughout the week. He remains a part of
Sunday, but is put back on the shelf with their Bibles to collect dust until
church the following week. Church appears to be some kind of magic token which
instantly makes a person “perfect”. But if God isn’t important enough to a
person to occupy at least a portion of their daily lives, He will not be
important enough to influence their actions.
As these verses say, “for his mouth speaks from that which
fills his heart.” If our hearts are filled with Christ, then Christ will be
what comes out of our mouths and determines our actions. But if our hearts are
filled with selfishness, greed, or the world, then that is what will come out
for others to see. We bear the fruit of what we are, whether godly or worldly.
We cannot fool God.
Luke 6:46-49 New American
Standard Bible (NASB)
Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Everyone who comes to Me and hears My
words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug
deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent
burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well
built. But the one who
has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a
house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it
and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.
We prove who we believe by what we do. Jesus is not our Lord
if we don’t obey Him, and He can’t be our Savior if He is not also our Lord.
Without His Lordship He has no authority in our lives. Our obedience and
devotion to God is vital! We can fool people to a certain extent, but God knows
everything, even the deepest, most secret longings of our hearts.
These two builders could have built identical homes. The
only real difference mentioned is that one had a foundation and the other
didn’t. On the outside one probably couldn’t tell because the foundations
usually aren’t visible. It is in storms and trials that that is revealed. Those
built on Christ, who have a solid, daily relationship with Him, will stand.
Those who are built on anything else, who don’t have a good relationship with
God, who live life for themselves and only pay attention to God on Sunday, will
fall. Eventually, a person’s true beliefs and character will be revealed, no
matter how good they are at hiding.
Obedience to Christ is not optional. It reveals what we
truly believe. If we really believe that He is the Son of God, that He
willingly died on our behalf to pay the debt we owe, that He took on the wrath
destined for us, then we will willingly, lovingly obey Him without question. It
would be our greatest desire and joy. Those who cringe at obedience, and claim
that it doesn’t matter that much what they do because they are forgiven, prove
that they don’t really believe. They know in their minds, but that truth hasn’t
penetrated their hearts. It reveals that they really want the world more than
God. They want to live for themselves and get heaven in the end. They want the
baby without the labor pains. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
We need to examine our lives, question what our motives
really are, and see what we truly believe. We need to look at how we spend our
time and money, check our priorities. We need to see what our actions reveal
about what we believe. Do we truly love God and serve Him above all others or
do we simply do what we are supposed to most of the time but live for ourselves
the rest? Who do we truly love with our actions?
Which group do you fall into? Is your life marked by devoted
love and service to God, or to yourself? Does your life show a belief in God’s
marvelous saving grace, or a get-out-of-hell-free card? What do you need to do
to make your life more genuine?
Ask God to help you develop a genuine faith transformed by
His love and grace. Ask a trusted godly friend to help examine your life, see
where your actions don’t match up with your words, and help keep you
accountable. Others are watching.
Preach the Gospel at all times, and if
necessary use words.
~St Francis of Assisi
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