Prepare For Action
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1 John 3:11
Let us show the truth by
our actions (v.18).
As a chaplain for athletes competing in the 1998
Nagano Winter Games, one night I stayed
out particularly late serving at the figure skating
venue. Cold and exhausted, I finally headed back to my
room at 1:00 a.m. On the way, I was shocked when
several members of the USA Men’s Hockey Team walked
by—boasting about the partying they were about to
engage in.
Their “good times” in Nagano were short-lived,
however. For just one day later, the team that was a
medal favorite lost in an early round and ultimately
finished an unthinkable sixth overall.
God’s Word teaches that “just as you can identify
a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their
actions” (Matthew 7:20). For the team mentioned above,
the actions of some partying hockey players brought
criticism upon themselves, their teammates, and their
country. “Their lasting legacy of the Nagano Olympics,”
wrote freelance hockey journalist Joe Pelletier, “was a
trashed hotel room courtesy of a few unnamed players.”
To achieve success, an athlete’s skills must be backed
by a disciplined lifestyle. Similarly, to bring glory to
Jesus, a believer’s faith and actions should work together.
It is actions that make “faith complete” (James 2:22).
“Our actions,” wrote the apostle John, “will show that
we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when
we stand before God” (1 John 3:19). This idea was lived out by Rahab the
prostitute, who was “shown to be right with God when she hid those messengers
and sent them safely away by a different road” (James 2:25).
When our actions reflect our faith in Christ, we’re more likely to draw people
to God than by words alone (James 2:14). Let’s truly display our faith by the
things we do and say (1 John 3:18). —Roxanne Robbins
more›
Read Psalm 119:4-6
to see what our actions
should “consistently
reflect.”
next›
What is one behavior
you can change to better
reveal the faith that you
proclaim? How did Jesus
model a faith that was
reflected in both words
and actions?
