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True faith inspires obedience
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“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” —Colossians 4:6
I was frustrated with the football game and started scrolling through Facebook for distraction. I ran across a social media image that said, “Believing in Jesus but not obeying him is exactly what Satan does.” I took some time to consider that sentence carefully. Truth has an amazing way of driving its way directly to our hearts and minds.
I forget sometimes that Satan knows Jesus well and still doesn’t honor him as Lord. Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised when people we know, and even love, do the same. Satan has always had a powerful influence in this world and always will. That’s why it’s so important that we allow God’s truth to author our witness. His words and his Spirit have the power and wisdom that exceed our human abilities.
We can’t limit our need to witness simply because people say they believe in Jesus. We can’t rest in the knowledge that people know about Jesus. The important thing to discern and care about is whether or not people are making the effort to worship and obey him. That is why Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
On a scale of one to ten?
It’s been an interesting season to be a Christian in America. The politicians have done their best to isolate believers into one party, and that isn’t truth.
Our country has believers on both sides, and all of us are right and wrong, no matter which side we choose. All believers are human beings and therefore sinners this side of heaven. All Christians are responsible for our own politics and need to judge our own witness by God’s Word. On a scale of one to ten, how are you doing with these verses:
- Jeremiah 42:6 says, “Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
- Acts 5:29 says, “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”
- John 15:12 says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
- And Timothy just sums it up this way: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:1–5).
If we were truly obedient to Timothy’s words above to “avoid” certain people, could any of us attend church this Sunday? If we ran from the people described above, it could be bedlam! In fact, how many people would look at us in light of Timothy’s warning and race for the door? Right now as I type, I’m hoping we will get to sing Amazing Grace in the worship service!
For all of us, I would love to recommend that we hear this song by Casting Crowns. Take a minute to listen to the words of Jesus, Friend of Sinners, before you keep reading. Allow the lyrics to affirm the truth I’m trying to write about today.
Moving forward
I hope your hearts and minds are open to these thoughts right now. And trust me when I say, I have to rake myself over the words I write before I send an article to all of you. It doesn’t matter that you might read these words and agree with them. What matters is that you make a choice before you close the computer or put away the cell phone or tablet you are reading these words from.
We need to look Jesus in the face and pray for the divine help we all need to obey his word and allow him to fill our witness with the power of his Holy Spirit. The world needs to know they are sinners too, and Jesus died on the cross for all of us. Jesus is the friend that every sinner needs.
The other Facebook post I saw
The first Facebook post said, “Believing in Jesus but not obeying him is exactly what Satan does.” It wasn’t long before I ran into another post, and I want to close with those words.
The second post said, “Jesus called you to be salt, not sugar. You are here to preserve what is true, not make his truth sweeter for the world to accept.” I am reminded of the time I was attending a conference and the speaker said, “When did God give us permission to edit or soften his word?” I remember there was a collective murmur when he made that statement. Again, truth has a way of driving itself straight to our souls.
That is the main reason we need to live lives of obedience to God’s Word. It’s not easy to tell someone they are a sinner in our world today. Acceptance, tolerance, and silence are considered more socially acceptable. But we are called to be salt in the world today. We might think of adding sugar to our witness the same way we are supposed to add sugar to our diets. As a recent Harvard Health article stated, “What is the right amount of added sugar? As little as possible.”
Sweet words might make our witness a little more pleasant to listen to, but adding too much sweetness might subtract some truth from God’s Word. Our purpose is to preserve God’s truth, and there are parts of Scripture that are tough to hear and even tougher to obey. People need and deserve to hear the whole truth of God’s Word. They are blessed not because they learn about the Lord, but when they learn what it means to obey him as their King.
Jesus is a friend to sinners, but he died to become their Savior and their Lord. You will know someone has made that decision when you see their effort to obey his word and walk with his Holy Spirit.
True faith inspires obedience
May our actions indicate that we love our Lord and others. Our ability to be a witness requires the power of God; the power we were granted when God sent us Jesus and filled our lives with his Spirit. This is a good time to remember Timothy’s words and “understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” We exist by God’s design. Who did God design your life to influence and impact with your witness?
Your faith will inspire your obedience. Your obedience will likely inspire someone to ask you about your faith. Your humble attention to God’s Spirit will provide your words. That’s how people come to know about Jesus and, hopefully, choose to obey him as their Lord. No matter what else is happening in the world, that matters most.
Satan believes in Jesus. The difference in a Christian’s life is that we choose to serve Jesus. I hope you have the chance to obey Christ and be salt and light in the world today. Jesus has been a friend to us, sinners who are forgiven. Now, our Lord wants us to offer that friendship to others. Truth has a way of driving itself into our souls…and doing its work. Amen?
