Head to Heart

18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

The saying, "Christians talk the talk, but do not walk the walk", comes to mind when I read from 1 John 3:18.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen Christians only love in word or talk.  I cannot tell you how many people I know that provide a lot of lip service to our Lord and Savior.

A synopsis of James 2:14-26, which my pastor speaks of as the "Coming to Jesus" book of the Bible, and I whole hearted agree, states that what does it profit us if we say we have faith but we do not have works.  Some may argue that we are not saved by works.  That being saved by works is SO Old Testament.  Well, they are right, BUT...works that are driven by faith in Christ are not works of our own accord.  They are a bi-product of letting the Spirit into our heart.  It is not by those works that we are saved my dear friends.

All can agree that as an individual, you mature as you get older.  Same holds true in our faith.  Hopefully, they are one in the same.  Personally, I see faith growing in understanding, knowledge, and then back to understanding.  As a child, for those that have grown up in a Christian household, faith was so simple, it made its way from our head to our heart easily.  As we grow older, we tend to close the veil of our heart and only let our faith live in our head.  As we grow older or more mature, we tend to start to love in word and talk, because we have pushed it from our heart to our head.  We know what is right to do, but that knowledge lives in the same place that useless knowledge lives.  Useless knowledge that may one day make you a winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?  Let me be frank, faith does not deserve to live in the same place that your useless information lives.

We must make a connection in our faith maturity to start moving our faith in Christ from our head back to our heart.  I picture the painting with Jesus Christ standing outside the door and knocking.  When we were children, it was so easy for us to just open the door and let him in.  As we matured, we have pushed Him outside the door, and it becomes harder for us to open the door again.  It is when you have opened the door to Christ that we have let the Spirit back into our heart.  To me, that is the time in which we have truly given ourselves completely to God, and when we should subsequently be Baptized.

Open the door my brothers and sisters.  Let Christ back into your hearts.  Loving in deed and truth will not be a burden onto your heart alone.  Christ shares that with you, and the deeds and truth you perform on not yours at all.  They are the works for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  They are not deeds that save you.  It is the act of letting Christ into your heart that has saved you.

Amen and God's Peace and Love

Colossians 3:17 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.