Do you ever think maybe people wonder who you really are? Have you ever heard the expression “actions speak louder than words”? Do you ever think about how these two things are very connected? Let’s think about that.
Matthew 11
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples
3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
When John asked if Jesus was the Coming One, Jesus did not directly answer, He pointed to His works.
What if our status as a Christian is determined that way? This is something we need to think about because, for much of the world to whom we are supposed to be witnessing, it is determined that way. God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) but humans can’t do that and so they depend on actions to reflect the heart. Do our actions and attitudes reflect His nature? Are we unashamed of what He says in His Word and do we lovingly proclaim it? What picture of our heart is painted by our actions?
What if someone asks if we are a Christian and we say:
“Look at the actions and attitudes I exhibit as a spouse and parent. Look at the actions and attitudes I exhibit as an employee or student. Look at how I serve, or don’t serve, in the church. Look at my social media posts for the last month. Look at the stand that I take, or don’t take, on the things of God. Look at these things and then judge if I am a Christian.”
If we were to do that, what conclusion would people come to? What would that say about our walk with Christ?
Colossians 3
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
All of us have multiple roles that we play on the stage of life and even the best of these roles can sometimes be difficult and have negative aspects to them. No matter in what role we find ourselves, we can and should choose to be thankful to God for that role and let Him empower us to do it well, for His glory. I think we should periodically examine ourselves, to see if we are doing that.
I was recently reminded of something said by Martin Luther King Jr, which I think is very applicable here.
He said:
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well’.”
I must ask myself: Am I a husband and father who loves my wife and children well, with the love of Christ? Am I a speaker and writer who does a good job of unashamedly representing Christ well to my brothers and sisters in Him and to the lost world? Do I live my life in such a way to make others notice that there is something different about me, something that they do not see in the natural world? I am just a sinful man, saved by God’s grace, and so the answers to these questions will not always be in the affirmative and, when that is the case, I need to ask Christ to help me to do all that I do in His name, giving thanks to God the Father through Him, so that His light will shine through me and I will have true joy in that.
What about you? You may be a preacher or a teacher or a truck driver or a sales associate. You may be a spouse or a parent, a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister. Are you playing your part in such a way to make all the hosts of heaven and earth pause to say “here is a great (fill in the blank), who played their role well? Does the way you live your life make others sit up and take notice, in a positive way? If someone asks if you are a Christian, rather than answering directly, can you answer in the same way that Jesus answered John’s question? can you point to your actions and attitudes, confident that people will draw the correct conclusion from those alone? If not, you should talk to God about that, don’t you think? I know I sometimes have to.
