James 2:14-18
The Lord calls us to share His truth with others, but oftentimes our actions and attitude completely contradict the words that are coming out of our mouths. This is an area in which we all seem to struggle from time to time.
The Lord calls us to share His truth with others, but oftentimes our actions and attitude completely contradict the words that are coming out of our mouths. This is an area in which we all seem to struggle from time to time.
Every day, every one of us communicates something to someone. We send messages by what we say and by what we don't say, by what we do and by what we don't do. For example, if a father quietly decides to stop tithing his income, he is sending a loud message to his children. Without ever opening his mouth, he is declaring, "Kids, you can't trust the Lord with your money. God isn't faithful to meet your needs, so you better hold on to as much as you possibly can." Is that the message you want to pass on to your children?
You might argue, "Well, I'm not really a tither, but I would never tell my kids that you can't trust God." Yet you have already sent an unspoken message loud and clear. What people?especially children?witness in our behavior speaks much louder than what we actually say with our mouths.
The apostle Paul understood what powerful lessons we teach by our actions. For this reason, he made sure he modeled the right behavior and values for his spiritual children to emulate (2 Thess. 3:7-9).
It is not an issue of whether or not we will communicate a message. Rather, the issue is, What kind of message are you already communicating? Search yourself for any disparity between what you say and what you do, and choose to share a complete, unified message of hope with the world.
