”Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18 (NIV)
Who remembers the song, “Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe. Doing exactly what you ought to do and doing it happily?”
I think I have sung that little song over 1000 times in my life, growing up, then with my own kids, and now with my grandkids! It is so simple, yet so true.
We live what we believe. If we believe there is a God who created all and is Master of the Universe, then why would we not obey Him? Why would we not trust that He knows best? Why would we not trust that when sin is left to run rampant and others “do what is right in their own eyes,” that God has the ability to work all things out for those who love Him?
We can say words, but our lives show what we believe.
That is the difference between Peter and Judas. They both said they loved Jesus, and they both were a part of His ministry. They both acted on what they believed. Judas believed he knew better than the Son of God, and he believed silver would fill the hole in his heart. And he acted on it. Peter believed Jesus was God, and when he denied that fact, He was brought to his knees and repented and gave the rest of his life to showing Jesus he really did believe in Him. Judas went out and hung himself and Peter gave His whole life to sharing about Jesus.
Both men had the same chance to sit at the feet of Jesus and see Jesus heal, speak truth, and show truth to the Pharisees. Both men acted on their beliefs.
What about us?
We can say all the things, even recite scripture, but it is our actions that shout to the world what we really believe.
This is why we can have people speak from the pulpit, teach on the radio, share truths from scripture, and then we see their life combust. They hurt the testimony of Christ, take down their family and friends, and destroy years of trust that was built up. Anyone can say words; it is what drives their words-their beliefs-that determine who they are.
This should cause us to look closely at our daily lives. How we treat our family and those around us, how we handle our anger, what we think about, what we talk about, are just a few examples of showing what we truly believe.
When you are trying to determine if you want to follow someone, listen to their life advice, care what they think of the Bible, or know how much they love you, put your hands over your ears and just pay attention to their actions. Not just an action, but their actions over a period of time. Actions reveal the belief and intent of the heart.
To wrap it up, if you have any confusion about Jesus and who He is, put your hands over your ears and pay attention to His death on the cross. This is proven by History and by scripture. Why would anyone who declared to be God Himself allow Himself to be beaten, crucified, and sliced with a spear other than because He loves each one of us and He wants us to live in Heaven with Him for all eternity? His belief that only He could save us allowed Him to leave Heaven and die for us. He could have just said He loved us, but that would not have given us eternal life with Him. It was His death-the action-that “demonstrated His love for us, that while we were yet sinners, He (Christ) died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“Father, help us to live out our beliefs and have the wisdom and discernment to see the hearts of others through their actions.”
For His Glory
Terrie Tollerson-www.TerrieTollerson.com
TRBC Women’s Life









