Living Your Faith: Behaviors Demonstrate Your Beliefs
Today, I finish the week by focusing on verse 21 of chapter 6 in the Gospel of Matthew:
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Mt 6:21
Where Is Your Treasure?
Reflecting on this verse reminds me of my days immersed in personal and leadership development seminars. One instructor shared a profound idea: “if you want to know someone’s true priorities, look at their bank statement and calendar.”
Since we value time and money so highly, how we spend them reveals our genuine priorities. For instance, if I claim that exercising is important but allocate time and money to resources, activities, and things unrelated to it, do I truly want it?
The good Old “Actions Speak Louder Than Words”
I often meet people who profess strong beliefs in their faith, whether that’s Christianity, Judaism, Islam or any other version of God. Yet, their actions don’t seem to align with their stated beliefs. Many people say they’ve started believing in God, but their behaviors remain unchanged. They continue engaging in actions that don’t reflect their faith’s principles.
This dissonance raises an important question: If we claim to follow God, how have my behaviors changed to meet His expectations since I started claiming to believe in Him?
The Fruit of Belief
If I’m claiming to be a disciple of Jesus, wouldn’t I be constantly trying to be the person God is asking me to be? If God is asking me to be holy, love my enemies, pray for my persecutors, and all these other things, how is my behavior reflecting those expectations?
If our behaviors don’t show any movement towards God’s standards, where is the fruit of our belief? Genuine belief should naturally lead to changes in behavior. When I recognize and fully understand something isn’t serving me, I instinctively seek to change it. This practical response should also apply to our spiritual journey.
The exploration of the day: If someone shadowed us for a day or a week, would they see actions consistent with our professed faith? What evidence would they be able to present in our defense?
In peace,
~Juan
