You know the saying “you talk the talk but don’t walk the walk”? Did you know that there is an entire chapter in the Bible dedicated to this exact meaning?
Let’s look at 1 John 2. Don’t worry, I’ll be kind to you and provide snippets, not the whole thing. I greatly encourage you to crack open your Bible and read the entire chapter, though. It is only 29 verses which is a walk in the park compared to some chapters. Now onto the highlights!
And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did…
…And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. 1 John 2:3-6;28-29
New Living Translation
Are you ‘walking the walk’ of a Christian or are you simply ‘talking the talk’? Are you following God’s commands as best you can? We are only human, so we can’t do perfect, but we can do our best.
Jesus lived a perfect life, so if we are living as Jesus did, then we are trying to obey God in all areas of life. You already understand that obeying your parents shows them that you love them. The same is true for God. Obeying what He says shows that you love Him.
Are you remaining in fellowship with Jesus? Do you know what that means? It means to spend time reading the Bible. It also means spending time praying and spending time in the quiet listening for God. It means praising God with singing, even if you don’t get what you want. It means being with God because you choose to be with Him.
What is your daily routine with God? Do you have one? If you don’t, now is the time. We have no idea when Jesus is coming back. You don’t want to wait too long to grow close to Him. When the judgement day comes, you’re going to want Jesus to say that He knows you.
Is ‘walking the walk’ important? Absolutely. God did not create us to live a life apart from Him. We are the ones who have been trying to push Him out of our lives. You can say you’re a Christian all you want, but if you don’t have a relationship with God, then you are lying to yourself.
Why am I being so forward? Because if no one ever tells you that being a Christian means more than going to church events, volunteering within the church, or saying a simple prayer, then how are you supposed to have a chance to find a true life with Jesus?
When I go to heaven someday, I want to see you there. How selfish it would be of me not to share with you the good life God has shared with me. I thank God so much for placing people in my life who made sure that I found out what a real relationship with God is.
I challenge you to create a routine of reading your Bible, praying, praising God, and simply sitting in His presence. Recently Satan has been trying to bring me down with unbearable shame. This is going to sound weird, but that is the best thing that has ever happened to me. In that desperation I just started singing to God. I found peace, relief, and security in those moments where I just sat with my eyes closed and sang.
I specifically have always struggled with Satan poking me with the fact that all my sins will be spoken in front of witness and Jesus on judgement day. I was really struggling with that and the unbearable shame all at the same time one night. I decided it was time to close my eyes and sing. The most beautiful line came out of that. I was simply singing along and then I heard out of my mouth come the following words.
On judgment day my sins will be spoken in front of witnesses
It won’t be pretty, but then Jesus will wash them away
And then He will find a treasure and say, “well done, well done, good and faithful one”
In that moment, in His presence and His glory, all my sins will be forgotten
I will be caught up in His presence, I will be caught up in His glory
The witnesses won’t remember my sins, they will be caught up in His glory, caught up in His presence
Because I decided to spend time with Jesus, He was able to speak those words into my life through my singing. There is no way that I came up with those words. Jesus spoke them through me because He knew that my heart needed to hear those words.
Now I spend at least 15 minutes each night singing to God before I read my Bible and pray. Then, as I lay in bed waiting to fall asleep, I sing to God. Sometimes all that I can muster up in my tiredness is a simple “You are holy, holy, holy” over and over again. The peace I find in just adoring God is nothing like I have ever felt.
Please don’t deprive yourself of this wonderous peace. Spend time in Jesus’s presence, spend time adoring Him. Just love on the wonderful King and Creator who has loved you since the beginning of time.
