Action, Not Just Words

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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A television commercial for a bank made a very powerful point. While taking a hike outdoors, a group of bankers encountered a patch of quicksand. One of the bankers began to sink in to the ground while the others organized and began to form committees and an action plan for how to deal with the problem. All this was going on while the poor fellow was sinking deeper into the quicksand. Then finally one of the bankers tossed a rope to his sinking friend and pulled him to safety. The catch phrase for that bank was, “Less talk. More action.”

It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And however good those intentions may be, until action is added, they are simply worthless. For the fellow being swallowed up by the quicksand, the best plan in the world was worthless to him until someone put the plan into action.

With dogs one might say that they are “all bark and no bite.” That means that they bark or talk a good threat but really won’t follow through with it.

In human terms we might hear someone say a person is “all talk and no action,” or “talking the talk, but not walking the walk.” And a common challenge to one boasting without action is, “put your money where your mouth is.” For the religious it might well be, “practice what you preach.” In other words, do something, don’t just talk about it.

My personal belief is that most people know right from wrong in life. And most people that believe in God also know how they should be acting in life. But having the intention to live right isn’t the same as actually doing what is right.

Notice what James has to say about the connection of faith and action in James 2:14-26.

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The point that James is making is very simple. Actions are needed along with our faith. Otherwise, our faith is just empty words.

Friends, when we see someone that needs help we should act to help them and not just think about what we should do. Like a person who is hungry or naked, it is simply not sufficient to say to that person, “go eat some food and get some clothes.” It is in our power to do something more. Less talk. More action.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we determine not only to know the right things to do but to make good on our intentions to do them. May we always be an encouragement to others through our words, actions and lives.

Our thought for the day: “Actions, not words, are the true characteristic mark of the attachment of friends.” George Washington

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Words Matter

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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I think you can tell just by watching which kids are going to be more successful in life. They are the ones who exhibit confidence and this confidence comes not only from their talents and vision, but also from those who believe in them. In short, when their parents and others encourage them, these young people will mature into successful adults.

What difference do words make in the life of a person? Consider the impact on two boys who lived with very different circumstances.

One boy lived with encouraging parents who were constantly providing positive feedback to their son. Sure, they had to correct him from time to time. But they did so in love and always with the goal in mind of making him better. They said things like, “good job,” “we believe in you,” “you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to do,” and “we are proud of you.”

This boy grew up knowing that his parents were his supporters. Not only did he know that they were pulling for him, but he also knew that to fall short of what he was capable of doing would be a disappointment to them. He approached life with great confidence and accomplished many things.

On the other hand, the other boy grew up in a family where positive communication and praise were in short supply. In fact, this boy heard mostly the negative things from his parents. “You will never amount to anything.” “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” “How could you be so stupid?”

Not surprisingly, this boy grew up in an environment of doubt and fear. Any dream that he dared to dream was quickly dashed by the inevitable doom from his parents. Even when he did well in a course or achieved a goal in life the words of encouragement still eluded him.

Our words make a difference on the world around us. Words can help make us or break us.

Choosing the right words can make all the difference. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” There is great value in the words we choose.

James discusses the importance of controlling our tongue and speech in James 3:1-12. Notice the impact that our words can have on others.

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

In our example earlier two families had two different approaches to their sons. One chose to be positive and the other chose to be negative. The effects on their sons were predictable and given the choice today, most everyone we know would want to choose to be positive.

But some people really have difficulty in knowing how to communicate in a positive manner and to do so consistently. Hypocrisy occurs when we begin to mix the good words with the bad words. Like James said, when we bless God and curse men all with the same mouth something is out of line. These things should not happen.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we realize that our choice of words makes an impact on everyone around us. May we take the time to choose our words wisely and always make sure that what we say is for the purpose of making things better.

Our thought for the day: “Wisdom is knowing when to speak your mind and when to mind your speech.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

The Epidemic Of Discouragement

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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Much has been done in recent years to protect our society from epidemics. Great medicines have been developed, vaccines have been deployed and plans are all in place in case any health threats come our way. But much worse than the physical devastation of the bird flu or some other illness is the destruction that is brought by another epidemic—discouragement.

Aubrey Johnson, in his excellent book, The Barnabas Factor, has the following to say about discouragement.

“Discouragement is a communicable disease more infectious than the flu. Negativity is an airborne ailment transmitted from person to person through words, looks and social contacts. Criticism spreads from one discouraging relationship to another until it reaches epidemic proportions. The outbreak can engulf families, businesses, schools, churches and entire communities.” (page 68)

What is the cure for such an epidemic? Encouragement. With encouragement one can overcome all of the negatives generated from an environment of discouragement. How? By starting to see oneself as an agent of encouragement.

Things need to be fixed. Actions need to be corrected. Wrongs need to be righted. But instead of viewing the world as a victim, encouragers view the world as those who are here on God’s behalf to help make things right. Encouragers know that God wants us to live with more blessings and fewer problems. Encouragers know that with God’s help and with hope in God, one can overcome any obstacle in life.

One of the great lessons about the epidemic of discouragement and negative thinking is found in the account of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land. We find this reading in Numbers 13:26-33.

Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Although Joshua and Caleb had faith in God and wanted to claim what He had promised, the other ten spies decided to focus on the negative. That thinking caused them to infect the entire people with a sense of hopeless doom.

If only they had listened to the two who trusted in God! Then they would not have wandered in the wilderness for 40 more years. Then they would have all shared in the blessing instead of dying in the wilderness. Then they could have been a positive example to others instead of being a legacy to negativity.

Yes, friends, there is a dangerous disease that is reaching epidemic levels. Discouragement is sure to conquer unless proper precautions are taken. Arm yourselves with love, hope, forgiveness and surround yourselves with grace, protection and love from God.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we learn to be positive encouragers for everyone we encounter. May we look to lift burdens, provide solutions, right wrongs and lift the spirits of everyone we know.

Our thought for the day: “A friend will strengthen you with his prayers, bless you with his love and encourage you with his hope.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

Never Doubt In Darkness

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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Are you afraid of the dark? Many people are. But fear of the dark is usually reserved for unfamiliar places. I can still remember being on a tour in a cave and feeling totally lost when the guides turned off the lights. Total darkness. Nothing was familiar. No walls were within reach. Before long it became difficult to even stand up straight without starting to sway. But even then I trusted that the lights would be turned on again and we would soon have no fear.

We understand that darkness is only temporary in most cases. A child who is afraid of the dark at night will soon learn that morning will chase away the darkness. Even though he may feel anxious at bedtime he has the hope that the sun will rise the next morning. Eventually he gains more courage knowing that the darkness will not remain forever. His fear, darkness, is only temporary. His hope is in the sunshine of daybreak.

Someone has said, “Never doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light.” I think that is a great thought. Just imagine the implications.

When we know that God is for us and with us, then of what should we be afraid? David said as much in Psalm 27:1 when he said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”

If we put our faith and trust in God we should never fear what the darkness of this world brings. But if we should ever forget God, well, that would be a different story.

Notice the following readings from Deuteronomy 8.

Verses 1-2 say, “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

Friends, God provided for the Israelites by feeding them and protecting them. Their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet swell during those forty years. Yet, not all of them would pass the test of the lord. They were not all willing to trust and follow God.

Verse 6 says, “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.”

They were to obey God because He had proven His love to them and was about to bring them into the land of promise. However, a challenge still remained. Some would not remember God and would not appreciate the blessings that He had provided.

Verses 11 says, “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.”

It seems incredible to me that anyone could forget what God had done for them. Yet this was soon to happen. Verse 17 indicates that some would be tempted to enjoy the blessings of the land God provided and claim the credit for themselves as they say, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.”

Finally, verses 18-20 state, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.

Being in a totally darkened room is a really fearful experience. But being in a life that is devoid of the light of the Son of God is even more fearful. Friends, we ought to remember God daily in our lives and constantly renew our commitment to Him.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we learn to always trust God and have our hope in Him. May we never doubt what God has promised us, especially when we are surrounded by the darkness of this world.

Our thought for the day: “Doubt sees the obstacles—faith sees the way.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

The Smallest Effort Is Worth More Than The Greatest Excuse

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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A few years ago a news story appeared about a man who lost a local election by just one vote. Tragic as that may appear, the real tragedy was that the man’s two sons had failed to cast their own votes! Had his own family made good on their commitment to the campaign that man would have been elected. Whatever excuse they provided in their defense certainly was of little comfort to the defeated candidate. The saying is very true: the smallest effort is worth more than the greatest excuse.

I wonder at times if we are not all guilty of overlooking good opportunities because we doubt what difference our part will make. For example, many Christians will fail to teach even one other person about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Surely they knew enough to become Christians themselves, and with that knowledge alone they should have been able to teach others. So lack of knowledge shouldn’t be the reason.

Maybe it was because they simply became overwhelmed with the vast numbers of people who have never heard the gospel. After all, there are over six billion people on earth. The Great Commission says to go to the whole world and teach the gospel. That’s too many people to teach. Some may just not even begin.

A story is told of a young boy who was walking along the seashore. As he walked, he would stoop down and pick up a starfish off the sand and then toss it back into the water. Someone stopped the young boy and said, “What do you hope to accomplish? There are far too many starfish and you can’t possibly toss them all back into the ocean.” The young boy replied, “No, I can’t get to them all, but to the ones I do get to it makes a big difference.”

That should be our attitude when it comes to doing the work of our Lord. When called upon to trust God and put our efforts into a cause we should be ready and willing to give it our best effort. Reality will creep in at times and try to persuade us that our little effort won’t make a difference. When that happens we need to refocus on our task and know that whatever we do in God’s name will be of good to someone somewhere.

In the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand a challenge is made to find the resources to feed the great multitude. Listen to this reading from John 6:1-9.

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

Andrew’s response, “what are they among so many” is typical of the way we often view our part in the kingdom of God. But remember, the smallest effort is worth more than the greatest excuse.

What difference does it make if you are faithful in attendance in worship and Bible school? Someone may be patterning their habits after yours. You make a big difference in the lives of others.

What difference does it make if you are honest in business or dress and act modestly during the week? You portray the body of Christ every day, not just on Sundays. Every action in your life has the potential to draw others closer to Christ or to repel them. The choice is up to us.

We will never rid the world of sin all on our own, but we can make a difference by getting sin out of our environment.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we remember to make good on our commitments to God, to the church and to others. May our life and actions become a force to draw others to Christ. May we all learn to stop making excuses and start making a difference.

Our thought for the day: “No one can build a reputation on what he’s going to do tomorrow.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.

We Are Created For Good Works

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

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Most people believe that God created the world, the universe and everything in them. Genesis 1:31 says, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” In this amazing and complex world everything God made has a purpose. The sun provides our sunlight. The moon controls our tides. God created bodies for us that are marvelous. They contain the means of healing wounds, fighting infections and replacing old cells with new cells. Truly everything God has made has a purpose.

But not only has God provided for our physical needs in this world. He has also provided for our spiritual and emotional needs as well. With His infinite wisdom, God has prepared a network of others to join forces with us on our earthly journey. Paul describes this as a body in 1 Corinthians 12:12. “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” In verse 26 he says, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

Isn’t that a wonderful thought to consider? God has created everything in the world with a purpose. And He created the church, the body of Christ, to be a means of giving support to one another on earth.

Listen to the way Paul expands on this in Ephesians 2:1-10.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We have been made alive, created for a God-given purpose—to do good works for our Lord! These works are present in the world today. They include not only taking the gospel to a lost and dying world, but also include taking care of one another.

Paul places special emphasis on the individual’s role in the body in Ephesians 4:16. “From whom the whole body, joined together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Did you notice that Paul says growth comes by means of every part doing its share? Friends, we have been created with a purpose in mind. That includes doing good works for our Lord.

The task of each one doing his or her share can not be accomplished until we each realize that everyone has a purpose. If our heart or lungs decided to not do what they were created to do, we would die. In a similar fashion, if as parts of the body of Christ, we decide to not perform the works that we were created to do, the whole body suffers.

Consider these words from Hebrews 10:23-25.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Friends, everything God created has a purpose and that includes us. In the body of Christ we are each created for good works and the growth of the body depends on each one of us doing our share. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

On Our Daily Walk today, may we look for opportunities to lift the spirits of others as we interact with them. May we end each day knowing that we have done what we could for the glory of God.

Our thought for the day: “Superior to a kind thought is a kind word; better than both is a kind deed.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.