Do you like the theater? I love going to plays and I especially love musicals.
My favorite is My Fair Lady. No one has ever done it like Audrey Hepburn. She was magical as Eliza Doolittle. She’s such a sassy character.
One of the songs she sings in the play is called Show Me. The premise of the song is don’t just say you love me, demonstrate it. Just in case you haven’t ever seen it:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/0WbRyU8uuNk[/youtube]
As my mama used to say,
Actions speak louder than words.”
In James 2:14-18 he addresses the idea actions, however, he refers to them as deeds.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
You simply cannot separate the two. Faith and deeds or works go together.
When I first started working with survivors of sex trafficking, I noticed they’d ask me for things all the time. To the bystander, it might have looked like they were taking advantage of me, but I came to realize what they were really doing was testing me. Did I really care? Would I ever tell them no and if I did, would it come with an outburst of anger?
As I met some of their physical needs: food, healthcare or some clothing items, with no strings attached, they began to see I really did care. My words and my actions lined up. That was something new for them. Oh, they’d been told I love you or I care only to be beaten, raped, or neglected by the person making the declaration. They hadn’t experienced declarations of love and affection followed consistently by actions to support those declarations.
Jesus Himself said He loved us and then He demonstrated it. Romans 5:8 says,
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Do you love Him? Do you have faith? If so, where’s the demonstration? One of the last conversations between Peter and Jesus drove the point home in John 21:15-17,
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
Jesus was telling Peter we show Him and others our love by what we do. What are your actions saying? Do they support your words?
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