Actions Speak Louder than Words

If our Words are hollow because our actions are not reflecting what we say, then they are just empty and meaningless

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When I read the Gospels, I am always taken aback by the way in which Jesus speaks. I always imagine Jesus talking with calmness and love so that His voice alone makes you feel at ease and at peace. I also love the way in which Jesus responds to questions. A fantastic example can be found in Matthew 11:2-5 ‘When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor’. When Jesus is asked; ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Notice that Jesus does not say ‘yes, it's me, there is no need to wait for anyone else, I’m here’. Instead He asks the disciples to go back and report on the examples they have seen, rather than rely on words alone.

We should always learn from Jesus as He is the ultimate example. In the scripture above Jesus is demonstrating the importance and the significance of living by our faith and how words are empty unless backed up by action; James 1:22 ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’. We know that no amount of good works or deeds are required for entrance into heaven, it is by grace alone that we are saved and through grace alone we are allowed the opportunity to enter heaven; Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast'. We can however demonstrate the Presence of Jesus in our lives if our actions back up our words.

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In 1 Corinthians 11:1 we are instructed to follow the example of Jesus; ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’, so a good question to ask is ‘am I living my life as a positive example to others in accordance with the Word of God and the example of Jesus’? Attending church, raising our hands, worshiping God and quoting scriptures are hypocrisy if the way we are living our lives is not reflecting Jesus’s example. There is some quite strong language used in the Bible on the subject of hypocrisy: Titus 1:16 ‘They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good’ and Matthew 15:7-9 ‘You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’. If we are being deliberately disobedient to God’s Word, then what example are we giving to those who do not know Christ yet? If, by our mouth we are claiming to know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour but our actions are saying the opposite then it is hardly surprising that people who do not know Jesus will consider us as hypocrites because that is exactly what we are showing them. Actions really do speak louder than words and this is exactly what Jesus was demonstrating to John’s disciples in Matthew 11:2-5.

We continually pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and to see more and more people come to know Christ. If, however, we as the body of Christ do not display the Presence of Christ by the example we demonstrate in our own lives then what chance have we got? If our Words are hollow because our actions are not reflecting what we say, then they are just empty and meaningless. Jesus did not need to tell John’s disciples by His Words because He knew His example would speak much louder.

Let us follow the example of Jesus and allow our actions to speak for us. Let us humble ourselves and turn our face to Him, so that people who do not know Him can see His reflection looking back at them. Let us listen attentively to what God has to say to us; 2 Chronicles 7:14 ‘if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land’.

May words not be necessary because our actions speak for us.

God bless.

Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life   

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