Actions Vs. Words

You have probably heard the old saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” This saying conveys that what you do defines you more than what you say. In chapters 4-6 we have the account of the people of Israel and their disaster of a fight against the Philistines. These were God’s people, and yet they disobeyed his law, did whatever they wanted, and tried to use the ark of the covenant as a magic wand. What defined this group of people at this moment was their actions against God. If we say we are Christians today and yet we live how we want, disobey God, and expect Him to grant our every wish, our actions say something different than our words. In 1 Samuel chapter 7, Samuel tells the people of Israel a list of things they need to DO for God to deliver them. We see what happened to people who gave up their wickedness and SERVED God. They were taken care of, and the enemy of God’s people was defeated. They followed what God said and returned to Him, and because of that, they were rewarded. Their actions became ones that God desired for them to do.

The common theme from the Old Testament to the New Testament is that God’s people should ACT like God’s people. The author of the book of James is well known for saying people should lay aside wicked and filthy things and become a DOER of the word and not just a hearer. (Jam. 1:21-22) Our actions should prove to the world, our families, and ourselves that we are a people of God.

Challenge

1.     Gal. 5:19-23 lists attributes of the flesh and the Spirit. Pick a struggle of the flesh and an attribute from the fruit of the Spirit and write them down. Pray over these in your life each day this week and focus on your actions showing less of the flesh and more of the Spirit. Make your actions a witness for God.