I’m sure you have heard the expression, “easier said, than done.” It is easy to “talk a good game”, but it takes hard work to “play a good game.” I am pretty good at looking at a project and being able to see what needs to be done, and I am very good at seeing what other people need to be doing. I know what I need to be doing. But actually doing it is a very different story.
I know I am out of shape. It is easy to say “this year I am going to get into shape” and start the year off doing a few sit ups and push ups, maybe even jog around the block once or twice. But after a couple weeks into this new routine, we start to settle back into our old ways. We know what we need to do, but we don’t do it.
Several years ago, my youngest son said “when I get old enough, I’m going to go sign up to play with the Houston Texans.” His entire sports career to that point was simply deciding what sport he wanted to play, signing up, paying the fee, and showing up at practice. He is my kid that is a natural at most sports and was generally one of the better kids on the team. He also had a good work ethic and when he was home, he was outside practicing whatever sport he was playing. He had natural ability, but he also put the work into becoming better. But becoming a professional athlete is much more than just “signing up” for the team. That takes a level of commitment that few are willing to give. It is easy to believe that one day I will be a professional athlete (well… not me, but you know what I mean), but it is another thing to do the work.
Why is that? If we have a goal and we know what we need to do, why is it so hard to do the work? Is it laziness? Is it weakness? Or maybe it is really a lack of faith. Do we really believe that goal is achievable, or is it just something we would like to do? Faith is an action word. When we truly believe in something, there will be action to support it.
It is easy to stand on the outside and criticize someone who is doing something. I can criticize our politicians, our church leaders, my boss, and even my wife. That is easy (for some those a little too easy). But what are we doing? Are we doing everything we can to make a difference? Have we tried to understand their point of view? Maybe they are in a leadership role for a reason. Maybe they see a bigger picture than we do. Maybe they are not on the right track, but is my constant complaining and criticizing going to fix the problem?
Belief and action must go together. Without action, we must question if we truly believe. I believe in God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I believe that the Bible is God’s word given to us. But do my actions support my faith? Am I living the life that the Bible tells us to live, or am I making up my own rules as I go?
It is easy to get caught up in the social issue of the month and have our opinion about that. It is easy to get deep into a discussion about the topic of the day and let everyone know what my opinion is on how to make the world a better place. But the real question that we need to be discussing is what is your view of the Bible? Is the Bible true? Unfortunately, we don’t spend enough time talking about that. We have a world full of Christians that are really good at talking a good game and knowing what they believe, but not many that can tell you why they believe.
Faith is an action word. If you don’t know why you want to get into shape, your are not very likely to do the work. We use the phrases “we need to be good” and “do the right thing” often. But why? What is “good”. What is “the right thing”. Why do we need to be good? It is hard for me to get my kids to “be good” if they don’t understand why. When we understand the “why”, the “what” becomes much easier. It is hard to follow the Bible teachings if we don’t even know if we believe the Bible is true.
There are several resources out there to help. It is a topic that I need to spend more time on myself. If we don’t know why we believe, we are easily led off the path by any teaching that sounds good.
We will begin exploring that topic here, soon. Subscribe to Sixandahalfdays to get notified of new posts and we will begin building our faith together in the new year. I look forward to hearing from you.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such a faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2: 14-17
