Proof Is In The Doing

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

1 John 3:18 

Have you ever had someone tell you that they love you?  Did their actions prove their words?  Here's today's point: Words are lies if our actions don't prove them true.

Ponder that for a bit.

How Do Others See You?

Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.

Colossians 4:5-6 

 

I shouldn't have said it, but I let the unkind words leave my lips unchecked.  And once words are out, the cannot be retrieved.  The way we act, the words we speak, the attitudes we choose to display...don't reflect on the person you are directing them to, they reflect on YOU!

 

Paul reminds us that everything we say and do is noticed; whether we like it or not, whether we intended it to be or not, Others notice.  And here's the kicker, if you are a Believer...not only do our actions reflect on us, they reflect on Christ!  And we wonder why so many have such a negative view of Jesus?  We should begin by looking in the mirror!

 

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:14

 

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24

 

Just something to think about.  

Choices Aren't Always Easy

"If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you will give up your life for Me, you will find true life."

Matthew 16:25 

 

We make a lot of choices every day, some are good choices and some not so much.  But since God is God and is loving and forgiving, why should we worry about the choices we make? After all, didn't Paul write in Romans 8:28 that God works everything for our good and His glory?  So why should we choose to do the right thing and give thoughtful consideration BEFORE we make our choice?  Because we like things quick and easy!

 

Let me give you a premise: God gives us abundant life to the degree that we surrender our own life.   Think about this, suppose you are offered a promotion with a huge increase in salary and prestige...the only catch is you will be required to work lots of extra hours.  You know that your home life is already tense because you seem to be always at work and this promotion could be the breaking point.

 

If you refuse the promotion, chances are another promotion will not be offered any time soon.  If you accept the promotion, you stand to lose your family. What would be your choice?

 

God never told us that our lives would be easy and free from conflict.  He never promised that we would always have easy choices to make.  God gave us a mind with which to think and work choices through before we decide, but do we use that gift?

Thankful for Thinking

 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 

Did you know that everything we say and do is preceded by a thought?  Every breath and other automatic responses of our body is regulated by a thought from the limbic portion of the brain.  Then we have the part of the brain that determines what we think about and what we say and some of the more manual motor skills.  And guess from where all these thoughts are being issued?  That's right, our brain.

So, let me ask you....what do you fill your brain with?  The brain is just one of God's amazing gifts and, if used properly, can benefit all those around us.  The brain...that old grey goop that keeps our ears from slapping together.  That incredible information sponge that soaks up a lot more than we think.  Yet, what do we put into this sponge?

Look at what Paul reminds us to fill our minds with: things that are true and honorable; things that are right and pure; things that are lovely and admirable; things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Did you find anything about gossip?  How about anything about how you can get ahead in your career?  Did you see anything about lust or adultery or anything negative?  Why?  Because our thoughts are controlled by the things we fill our brains with.  Fill your mind with the positive and the things for which we should be thankful, then you will see positive people.  Fill your mind with rubbish and you will see negative people.

Thankful for such an incredible gift as a mind!  Fill it carefully!

#dailythankfulchallenge 

What's Your Price?

¹⁴ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests ¹⁵ and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 26:14-16 

When we accept a job, one of the factors that is foremost in the decision is the salary.  We want to know that our wages will be worth our time and effort.  And for the right price, we will do just about anything.  Remember the commercial "What would YOU do for a Klondike Bar?"

Judas Iscariot was the treasurer for the Disciples.  He was the one who kept track of the funds given to them and their expenditures.  If they needed food, Judas was the one who paid the bill....I often wondered why they didn't let Matthew, who was a tax collector, keep the money....but that's just another of my wonderings.

Not sure when Judas decided to sell Jesus out, possibly he was mad a Jesus about the whole expensive perfume issue or maybe he had taken all the money himself and he was afraid he would have to give an accounting to the Disciples for his embezzlement.  But Judas approached the Chief Priests, who had been looking for a reason to get rid of Jesus, and offered his services.  He asked, rather bluntly, "How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?"  

It's bad enough that a member of Jesus' Disciples decided to sell Him out, but then to be bold enough to seek out the Chief Priests and as them how much Jesus' life was worth to them?  Guess how much they offered?  Thirty Pieces of Silver!  Why that specific amount?  Well, according to the Law, thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave.  Judas sold Jesus for the cost of a slave!  Judas readily accepted the funds and then began looking for the right time to earn the money.   

Let me ask you (and me), what's your price?  If someone stuck a gun to your head and told you to deny Christ or die....which would you do?  We may bravely say we would be strong, but that's all talk.    When the bank account is empty and there's no food, what's your price?  When you lose your job, what's your price?  When your spouse decides the marriage is over, what's your price? 

When the chips are down, what's your price? 

What Can I Do?

For once you were full of darkness, but now you 

have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

Ephesians 5:8

 

Over and over, I hear the same concern: "With all the c*&p that's going on in the world, what can I do?"  This is a valid concern and it's not exactly an easy question to answer.

 

Think about this:

     *  "There's a lot of things happening in the world that we don't like."

     *  "Can I do anything about all that I don't like?"

                     *  No you cannot change everything you don't like about world events.

                     *  BUT you are not helpless!

 

Mohandis Gandhi once said, "You must BE the change you want to see in the world."  And he was not wrong!  If we want the world to be a better place, start with the face you see in the mirror.  Is there anything you see (or know) that you can change about that face in the mirror?  Most likely.  

 

You see, somewhere along the line of time, we have been told that WE can change others to make the world a better place.  But here's the thing, if we try to control other people, that has never ever worked in the past because we aren't robots.  The only person I can change is me!  And in changing me, I will change how I treat others, which may spark them to make changes about themselves, and the circle gets bigger and bigger.

 

We have to decide whether we want to be part of the problems or part of the difference.

Radiate!

As water reflects the face,
    so the heart reflects one person to another.

Proverbs 27:19 

 

Have you ever watched a pet see their reflection in the water for the first time?  Child do this too.  They either want to fight with it, play with it, or are afraid of it. I saw a documentary on some tribes in places like New Guinea or deep within the Amazon, who believe their reflection truly reveals their spirit and they also believe that cameras steal their spirit (which is held within the photo).

 

Think about how much time we spend looking into reflective surfaces, making adjustments to our appearance, checking to make sure we didn't spill any of our lunch, are our seams straight (if you are military, check your "gig" line to make sure you are squared away).  We spend vast amounts of time looking at our reflections.

 

One television program I used to watch with so much regularity that I purchased the DVD, was called "Keeping Up Appearances."  The main character's entire life revolved around the appearance of perfection and putting on airs to convince others she was of the "upper crust" of society.

 

However, this devotional is not about what we look like.  Our actions tell more about us than our appearance.   Some of the most physically attractive people have some of the most ugly hearts.  

 

My bride and I watch HGTV and enjoy the home repair programs.  One episode of one of the programs, which is no longer being aired, the home flipper told his crew to paint over the rotting wood so they could sell the house before the rot was discovered, he called it "sugar coating" the house.  How often do we do that?  We want people to see us as more than we are? 

 

Are you caring?  Your actions will prove it.  Are you obnoxious? Your actions will prove it.  

 

Rule of Thumb: "Your Actions Prove You!"   

Being In Control Begins With YOU!

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

1 Timothy 1:7 

 

I can't say that I'm smart or wise, but I do have a Principle.  It's called the "HEHOO Principle" and I fail quite often in its practice.  It goes like this: "HEHOO can harsh your mellow owns you!"  And guess what?  It's true!

 

Think about the person who said something about you that you didn't like.  You steamed over it, pondered it, and relived it over and over and over.  Well...that person OWNS you because they are controlling your thoughts and you attitudes!  And here's the sad truth of it all, we are VERY quick to let other people own us!

 

Here's a nugget of wisdom I heard many years ago: "You cannot control what others say or do. You can only control YOUR reaction to them."   Want to stop people from owning you?  Then consciously decide that their words and actions are their problem for which they will eventually have to answer.  

 

People are going to say and do things we don't like.  That's a given.  But since we KNOW that they will, it becomes OUR responsibility to begin training ourselves to deal with it properly, and this is where I struggle too.  Instead of a knee jerk, sharp tongued response, I should respond with kindness and courtesy.  Even if that means distancing myself from that person and being only professional and courteous should we have to interact with each other.

 

God gives us that strength but it's up to us to exercise it and use it.  Like any muscle, if it is not exercised it will be useless and weak.