Truth or Not? There is more to the Life

Years ago, I started taking guitar lessons – visions of greatness danced in my head! I went to lessons, spent money on multiple guitars and all sorts of equipment, and practiced every day, sometimes for over an hour! I was going to ‘do it’ this time – I would not quit, slack off, or let anything keep me from mastering this instrument as I had in the past – it was that important!

 

Over time, though, I started skipping my daily practice sessions – once in a while. I continued to go to my lessons and still tried to keep going and improving, but over time something happened. I never really ‘decided’ to stop practicing and move on to other interests – I just did.

 

I finally quit my lessons and reduced my practice sessions to just a few minutes, two or three times a week. I had moved on!

 

I still believed that playing the guitar was important to me – but I was kidding myself, wasn’t I? My actions told a different story!

 

The Bible challenges us to look at our actions and not just our words. We might say that our faith is important to us, and even go to church and carry a Bible – but the truth of what we value can be seen in our actions and heard in our words.   

 

In the Bible, Christians are told that they are “aliens and strangers” on this earth. This was not literal, of course; the author (Peter) was making the case that if their lives and values were firmly rooted in their faith in Jesus, they would not ‘fit’ well in this world. The matters of faith challenge the values of this world, and the actions commonly accepted by this world are often unacceptable and offensive to those who follow Jesus! It is almost as if we are ‘foreigners’ on this earth!

 

For those who seriously value the practice of their Christian faith, we are told to do a couple of things in our passage in I Peter 2. First, we are to resist the fleshly desires of this world, keep things in perspective, and not give in to the temptations that come. Second, we must ensure our actions reflect our faith because people are watching! Those in this world may not seek Jesus on their own, but when confronted by the witness of one who knows and follows Jesus and values him above all else, they may see something they desire or need and find Jesus. That is our goal!

 

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Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.