Say What?

"What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Mark 13:37 NIV)

What we say matters--in most cases, but we don't just speak with our lips, our actions speak loudly, especially when they don't line up with our lips.

This is why we are admonished to be "living letters" read of men because all who watch us, pay more attention to what we do, than what we say. If we are not saying what Jesus said, in the context in which He said it, then our lips lie and if our lips lie, our actions will also promote lying.

The difficulty most Believers have in convincing anyone that The Word is true is because they only live on Sunday morning, or during a midweek service. As soon as the service is over, the "real them" controls and makes everything they "said" a lie. How do we know? How many times have we heard testimonies about how they were driving beyond the posted speed limits and when pulled over, the police officer showed them mercy? If we really believed in obedience, we wouldn't be speed-demons and if we have given Our Lord and Savior complete control over our lives, why won't we allow Him to control our heavy foot? This is not a testimony of God's goodness, it is a boast of our stupidity.

When we stand in lines and grumble, irritated beyond measure and cuss at everyone around us and people hear us cussing out folks on the phone, do we really think God doesn't see or hear us? And some of these same people can be heard bragging, "I'm Baptist born, and Baptist raised, and I'll be a Baptist all of my days." Whenever I've heard this (and I've heard it on more than one occasion) I cringe--for all Baptists since this is how they're being represented--loud and obnoxious.

But it's not just Baptists, or Methodists, or any other "one" denomination" that has difficulty being "the letter read of men" that God wants us to be and saying what The Word says. Many of us have the same issues and I wonder are we paying attention to us--not other people?

The bottom line is this--make sure your actions line up with what we say--people are watching and if we say we belong to Jesus, we are held accountable for all we say and do that is not of Him.