How many times have you told someone, “Actions speak louder than words”? Probably too many times to count. A pet peeve that we all share is someone who says one thing and does another. It speaks to their credibility and your ability to trust what they say. I’m sure we can all think of examples right now of times we’ve encountered this in others. The sad thing is that it happens in the Church as much as anywhere. That’s why the book of James in the Bible is pretty much about just that.
We’re all familiar with “Don’t just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer also,” and “Faith without works is dead.” James continues this theme throughout his book to remind us that we can’t just talk like Christians, we must live and act like Christians. James 3:13 says, “Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts” (MSG). As he wrote, it speaks to our reputation.
Living well can be translated into living honorably. People around us should be able to trust what we say. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich.” What is your reputation among other believers? Are you someone they can count on? Are you a person that has an honorable reputation among your local group of believers? What about your reputation among non-believers? To me, this one is of utmost importance. How can anyone accept our faith if the way we live our life is in opposition to what we profess to believe?
I was always told that integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. What I’ve learned is that there is always someone looking. People are always watching us as believers. Our lives should reflect what we say we believe. I’m not saying you have to live perfectly because that’s impossible, but you do have to live honorably. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. So let’s not have dead faith. Let’s be doers of the Word and live a life that acts out the faith we profess.
Photo by Nicolae Valera on Unsplash
Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 
“It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.”
Amen! Part two of this post could be how humility comes into play—once we realize our walk doesn’t match our talk. Maybe it would sound something like this: “Guys, I have not been living like I say I believe. I’ve asked God to forgive me. I hope you will too. Going forward, I want to be a better role model.”
In my life as a teacher, I find it helpful to simply admit it to my students when I blow it. It really goes a long way.
Thank you for your consistent blog ministry, Chris. I read them all!
Absolutely! I don’t know where it happened, but somewhere along the way, we started believing we had to be perfect and that admitting we’ve messed up is a poor reflection on Christ. People are attracted to humility, honesty and genuineness.
Thanks for the ideas and bringing this to light.
Walk the talk!
Preach by your actions!
Let your life preach!