Who Are You?

You’ve probably heard it said, “Actions speak louder than words.” Indeed, as much as we’d like to just tell people who we are and paint ourselves in the best possible light, they see all too well who we really are by the life we live. We all have choices to make in how we spend our time, how we spend our money, who we are around, and what are the things we find important. We can shout it from the rooftops all day long about how much we love Jesus and want Him in our life but He might not be. We’re the only ones stopping Him. He’s ready and willing to free us from our sin, but so many cling to it!

On many occasions, Jesus encountered people that were more interested in letting others see their own glory than they were in bringing glory to God. Jesus warns in Matthew 6:1, ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” And again in Matthew 15:7-9, “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Jesus wasn’t the only one to confront this attitude either. Paul wrote to Titus in chapter one verse 16: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.” John wrote in 1 John 2:4, “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” And Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:1, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”

Therefore, let us be very careful not just how we present ourselves to the world, but how we present ourselves to God. God knows the heart and we when we try to live the lie that we are kind, loving, caring people when really we aren’t – He knows. When we try to put on a good show so others won’t realize what’s really going on, God knows. We might have the right words, but it’s the right heart that God is looking for.

Jesus knew this and lived it well. We have Jesus’s thoughts, His teachings, and His sermons to help us know what is right. But more than what is said, we see what He has done that truly shows us what love is. Jesus had compassion for others and He worked to meet their needs. When He was tired He still served, still prayed, still taught, still loved, still healed, still listened, still led, and still showed how much He cared. More than that, Jesus sacrificed His life: “ . . . you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

So do our actions reflect who we truly are? Of course they do! But is that who we ought to be? Or should we be the person Jesus calls us to by the life He lived: “For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus is recorded as saying: “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Are you following in His steps and doing the will of the Father? If not, ask yourself what’s more important than your eternity? 

God's Children

This week, we’ll continue our series on the Christian home by talking about what it means to be a child of God. Some of us are children, some of us were children, and some of us still act like children! 

The Bible draws of this shared experience we each have to help us understand faith better and to help our faith grow. We are not just people that get a little older as time passes, but we are also meant to be Christians whose faithfulness, holiness, and righteousness is also growing as each day we try to be more like Jesus. We have so many opportunities to sin or obey, to work towards our mission or for self, or to honor God by honoring others. Yet many times, we still find ourselves living in our childishness rather than as children of God.

First of all, I hope we remember that it is a child-like faith that Jesus expects from us. He says as much in Matthew 18:2-3, “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” He also says in Luke 18:17, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Therefore, we must, as these children did, trust in Jesus, believe in Jesus, and commit to following him. Children are trusting, brave, and bold. The faith of a child must equally be. 

That is not to say that we must have a blind faith. Children, and you may not know this, but they tend to ask a lot of questions. A lot! So too the “noble Bereans” are praised not for having faith alone but for having the faith to ask questions until their questions are answered. Acts 17:11 tells us their faith led them to “ . . . examine the scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true.” How’s that for a blind faith?

But the Bible also cautions us concerning our child-like attitude. While our child-like faith is important, what we must avoid is childishness, bickering, selfishness, and tempers. None of these qualities are ones we should retain. In fact, Paul writes “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Cor 13:11, KJV). Our faith is to be a growing one that leads to maturity. 

Mature Christians love. They sacrifice. They put others first. They obey. If we are to believe ourselves to be children in God’s household of faith, we must look at our life and spiritually discern whether or not we are being faithful or if we are still being childish. 

Training

How well do you think a musician would do playing a piece they’ve never seen before? When I was in the school band, our band director would challenge us from time to time with the expectation that we be able to play, and play well, music we’ve seen for the first time. This is something called sight-reading and it doesn’t come easy and very often it doesn’t turn out well. 

How well do you think an athlete would do competing in an event they’ve never practiced in? When I was on the high school track team, we would sometimes be at a meet a little short-handed. Being down a teammate or two, the coach was left with the decision to either forfeit the event or possibly put someone in that wasn’t ready. So, sometimes you’d have a sprinter run a long-distance race, it doesn’t come easy and doesn’t often turn out well.

How well do you think you’d do on a math test or science test when you’ve never reviewed the material? There’s been plenty of times I’ve shown up on test day unprepared. In the end, I’ve got no one to blame but myself. I had the time, the tools, and the opportunity to prepare but when it came time to take the test, I wasn’t always ready.

In the same way, how well do we think we can stand up to temptation, vices, evil, and injustice if we’ve only walked with God about an hour per week? How prepared are we for trial and crisis if our faith is only attended to infrequently and by others? Is our time in worship together the only time we spend with our God and Father?

Paul writes to the church in Corinth and he compares the Christian faith to something familiar to the Greek and Roman culture of the day. Athletics was a worthy endeavor and taking care of the body was a high priority for Paul’s audience. He had an easy time picking something out that he knew people would be willing to suffer for, sacrifice their time for, and dedicate their efforts towards. How much greater value is the result of a faithful life? 

Paul tells the church in 1 Corinthians 9, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Later in the same letter we also find, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Cor. 10:12).

Therefore, just as much as we know a musician, or an athlete, or a student must be prepared in order that they might meet their goal, how much are we as Christians preparing ourselves to meet our Lord?

I hope our time together here is just a small piece rather than the whole of Christ in your life. This week, we’ll begin a series of lessons looking at the Christian home and relationships, pastimes, and plans that should be but are not always under the rule of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Training is valuable and helps us in times of need. Let us not neglect the opportunities we have every day.