Walk the Talk
Words are inadequate to describe when God shows up and shows off his glory. Jesus did many mighty works, signs, miracles, and wonders. However, Jesus said, the works that I do shall they do and greater works shall they do because I go unto my Father. The greater works is to lead others unto salvation. Salvation is the miracle of miracles. At the Influencers Men’s Retreat we were treated to the greatest of all miracles. James wanted everyone to witness his acceptance of His Lord Jesus Christ and his declaration of repentance in front of the men. James confessed that he had seen things in war that no eye should ever witness. He lamented, “I’ve had to deliver miniature flags to children and tell them, “your daddy will never return home.” He cried, “I can’t take it any more. I’ve seen too much suffering and death. I’m not worthy and I need God’s grace and mercy.” Everyone in the room wept with him as he accepted Jesus as Lord of his life.
Unworthy means lacking in value, worthless, undeserving anything of merit, inappropriate to one’s condition or station. Christians often find it easy to talk the talk. However, it’s not as easy to walk the talk. Anyone can talk the talk. The biblical word “confession” or “profession” is translated from the Greek word homologeo. This compound word is from homo meaning “same” and logos meaning “word.” It means that your talk and your walk speak the same thing. A professional is one who practices what he preaches. To profess “Jesus is Lord” is to walk the talk and talk the walk. When many Christians stumble and fall off the narrow way, they don’t know how to fall into God’s net of mercy and grace. Our challenge is to walk in grace as we follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The devil will remind us that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing. He will feed our resentment bank for offenses that we’ve suffered at the hands of others. If we’re married, the devil will remind us to make moment by moment deposits each time our wives offend us. He’ll remind our wives to do the same when we offend her.
Relationships start with the honeymoon where both parties are on their best behavior. Love covers a multitude of sins. When you’re in love, she can do no wrong. However a marriage commitment means you’ll be under surveillance for the rest of your life. Women are good at keeping score to prove that their husbands have broken their vow to love honor and serve. Wives often write down their husbands’ offenses. At a marriage counseling session, they will bring out the evidence of wrongs.
The problem is she’s looking for “Mr. Right.” The real question is, “Will you settle for Mr. Reasonably Close?” At counseling sessions, the resentment bank has been filled to overflowing. Saving a marriage is like raising the dead. A bank of resentment and bitterness will kill any relationship. When you’re eaten up by a root of bitterness, the one who suffers the most is the one who’s bitter. Wives are more easily wounded than their husbands. They’re butterflies while their husbands are Buffalos. The Buffalos are insensitive and will trample the butterflies without realizing the destruction in their wakes.
Hebrews 12:12-17 is the antidote to feeling unworthy. “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13. And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
- Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16. Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
- For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”
Feeble knees are the result of old age. However, this is an analogy of those who have received Christ and then walked away. They have been buffeted by the tribulations of this world and can’t take it any longer. They are casual Christians whom the world has indoctrinated in the affairs of this world. They have been shaped and wounded by the world.
Hebrews says, pursue peace. Jesus said to actively pursue peace. You can’t have peace without the prince of peace. AT the dedication of the temple, God said to his people, you need to meet certain conditions: If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will heal their land and forgive their sins.
Unless we meet the condition of resting in him…of putting our faith and trust in the prince of peace there will be no peace. You have to pursue Christ. According to Philippians 4, “Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Through the trials of life, he will teach us the meaning of peace. When the disciples were in the midst of the storm, they were fearful and thought their boat would capsize. However Jesus said, “peace be still.” Our prayer is not, “Lord deliver me from the storm,” but rather, “deliver me through the storm.”
Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall see God. He said, my peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Esau was a hunter. He was Isaac’s older son who would inherit his father’s birthright. One day when he came from the field, he was famished. His brother Jacob said, “if you give me your birthright, I’ll make you a pot of stew.” Esau gave up his birthright for a bowl of stew. The question is, “what is it that you value most?” Esau’s problem is that he craved and hungered for the things of the world instead of the things of God.
In Marriage Builders classes, one of the most difficult lessons is, “there is nothing wrong with my wife that God can’t fix in me.” To receive grace, you have to give grace. Ultimately grace is from God himself. God’s grace is his gift of Holy Spirit. Giving grace will cut down the root of bitterness. In order to reconcile, we have to meet each other at the foot of the cross…for their is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
A man of God wants to spend the rest of his life learning to become just like Jesus. When we look unto him, the author and finisher of our faith, when we turn our eyes upon Jesus, the things of this world will become strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Everything that we see in this world is here today and gone tomorrow. The things of this world will soon be past. Only that which is done in Christ will last. Jesus said, “what will it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?” Missionary Jim Elliot before he was martyred ministering to the Auca Indians of Equador said, “He is no fool who loses that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Only one thing really matters in this life….only Jesus!
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael