Day 2368 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV
A clanging cymbal. A noise maker. A sound without meaning or purpose. That's pretty much a spot-on description of much of what we're surrounded with anymore. People talking without saying anything. Folks making noise just to feel like they're doing something. Groups and movements screaming and yelling about all kinds of different things without accomplishing much if anything good. The problem is that so many of our motives are all wrong. Our reasons for doing and saying things are based on some pretty selfish and even hurtful foundations. And when that's the case, there's going to be some big problems because of it.
The whole law and every commandment is summed up in loving God and loving others. Christ tells us that very plainly in Matthew 22:40. It's about love. Kindness. Compassion. Understanding. Humility. Selflessness. Servanthood. But I'm just going to be honest, you're facing an uphill battle trying to convince me that most of what we're seeing and hearing these days is focused on those things. It's not. It's about as far from those things as it can be. The motives of this world and many of the people in it are anything but good. In fact, some of the reasons people do what they do and say what they say are quite deceptive and dangerous.
We should all try to see the best, hope for the best, and believe the best in life. We should try to find the good in everything that we can. But at the same time, we also have to be realistic. We have to understand that while we would like everything and everyone to be good, that's sadly never going to be the case. There is evil in this world. There are people who are set on causing harm and doing wrong. And those wicked folks will always be here working to undermine everything good that other people try to do. That's why we need to keep fighting the good fight. That's why we need to set our sights on following Christ and living like He calls us to live.
Sitting back and just hoping for the best isn't good enough. We have to get our hands dirty. We have to get to work making our words and messages mean something. We can say all the right things. We can share a bunch of uplifting messages. We can paint this perfect picture of loving and caring about others. But if we're not living it then we're not making a difference. If we're not backing up our words with action then we're not helping make things better. We're just a clanging cymbal. We're just manipulating air to make a pretty sound that carries no real meaning.
Again, 1 John 3:18, "let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." It's about what we do, not what we say. If our motives are anything but love then we're going the wrong direction. If our purpose isn't to point others to Christ then what are we pointing them to? I think it just boils down to having the wrong goals for our lives and our time here. We often make it about us. We get fixated on what we want, what matters in our opinion, and making ourselves comfortable by gaining the acceptance and approval that we crave. But that's not what we're here to do. It's not even in the same ballpark.
We're here for more than a bunch of peaceful messages and warm and fuzzy ideas. We're here to put those things into practice. That's how we make things better. That's how we change things. Not by talking about how to do it, but by living out the faith we claim to have. We need more than noise. We need more than empty hopes and broken promises. We need people who are willing to lay everything down and step up to the calling we have in Christ. We need a church that lives what they preach and backs up the love and kindness that they tell others about. Words will never be enough because what we do and how we treat others is what tells the real story.
We may never get everything right. We may not be the best speakers or have the biggest following or impact. But if we're living and working from a place of love then the impact we do have will be one that truly makes a difference. What we say will never matter as much as what we do. And what we do has to be based on loving God and loving others. Otherwise we're just spinning our wheels and wasting a perfectly good opportunity to live a life that means something. Don't focus on saying the right things. Focus on doing the right things. That's what we're here for!
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