About a month ago I found myself smack-dab in the middle of an altercation between two people I know. It was one of those big blow up arguments that happen and escalate so quickly that you find yourself at a loss of words.
To make things more interesting, one person borderlines on being an atheist but is searching and wondering if there is a God, while the other professes to be a Christian.
After things cooled down, I reflected on the heated exchange and saw that something totally unrelated to the initial argument came to the surface.
The one who is questioning God’s existence essentially called out the Christian for not living what he claims to believe; there’s a gap between the words the Christian professes to believe and the way he lives his life. Once I realized this I immediately knew I had to do some self-reflection myself.
Am I living a life that reflects my faith in God?
As I look back on my Kairos journal from that moment until now, here are a few phrases or quotes that I wrote down (on separate occasions) that have led me to further introspection:
“The only words that matter are the ones that I live.”
“What we believe about God will determine how we behave.”
“Jesus called us to show our belief in Him by the way we live our life.”
Is belief enough?
During that same month, I heard a pastor preach on Jesus calling us to follow him - and not merely say “I believe” and go on living however you want to live.
He went on to say that if belief was all we needed then we’d be in a much better place in our world. We could simply believe that exercise is good for our body and that broccoli is healthier than ice cream and be in much better shape. We could believe that addiction is bad and no longer be addicted. But we all know that we must put those beliefs into practice otherwise we will remain where we are.
When Paul says in Philippians 2:12 “..work out your salvation..” - it’s a humble reminder that this is a daily process and one that has its ups and downs. I’ve been memorizing and meditating on Ephesians 4:16:
Friend, my prayer for you is that God, from His glorious, unlimited resources, would empower you with inner strength through His Spirit to obey Him, to walk with Him and to love Him with all of your heart. Amen.
If you feel led, I'd love to hear from you in the comments how you try to walk this out in your own life or even a favorite verse that encourages you in this area.
Leave a comment: