“Your Actions Speak for You”
By Dianne Prince
“Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor’” (Matthew 11:4-5, NIV).
John the Baptist sent a message to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one, or should we look for another?” In response, Jesus told John’s disciples, “Go back and tell John what you have heard and seen: The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Notice that Jesus did not confirm His Messiahship with words; instead, He substantiated it through the miracles witnessed by those around Him. Why? Deeds are more convincing than words. Actions speak louder than verbal assertions.
Jesus challenges us, as Christians, to follow His example and walk the talk. We must demonstrate our faith to the world—not by wearing a big cross on our chest or by reciting scripture to fit every circumstance, but by how we operate, by the words we say, and by the decisions we make in our daily lives.
The world needs to see us walk the talk. As representatives of Christ, we cannot stand in the check-out line at the grocery store, curse someone for cutting in front of us, and expect the world to believe our message of the gospel. We cannot drive around with a “Jesus Saves” sticker on our bumper and then make rude gestures at someone who cuts us off on the interstate.
Remember today that your actions speak for you. The question is: What are your actions saying? Be mindful that the world judges us by the lives we live, evaluates us by the choices we make or do not make, and forms opinions of us by the words we use or choose not to use. The world judges our genuineness not by who we say we are, but by what they see us do.
