Walk the Talk!
Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:16-20
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
When our radio listeners contact us, they usually send a letter or an e-mail. Nikolai, a farmer and hunter from Siberia, mailed to our Russian office a short note along with a bearskin! He wanted to support our ministry but didn't have cash. So he sent a skin he had recently hunted, and he asked us to sell his gift and use the proceeds to buy Bibles for the poor.
Soon we became the recipients of other gifts--such as dried fruits and honey--all from Nikolai. More recently he has been sending us cash contributions, and with every gift he encloses a note of encouragement and some brotherly criticism of our radio messages.
Actions speak louder than words. When Nikolai writes notes or sends gifts to us, we know he cares. That's what today's passage is about. According to John, talk is cheap if it is not followed by concrete actions.
When I was graduating from Bible college, our professor told us, "Congratulations. You have all learned how to speak as true Christians! Now the challenge is to always live out your beautiful words." That's a challenge for everyone who is on a journey of faith. Are we walking the talk?
Our salvation in Jesus is a free gift. Now we are called to do good works out of our thankfulness for salvation, showing our genuine love for God and neighbor.
Lord, we praise you for your salvation in Christ! In him you have shown us what true love is. Teach us how to love not only with words but also with tangible actions! Amen.
About the author — Sergei Sosedkin
Sergei Sosedkin is the Russian-language ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He is a native of Moscow, Russia. As he oversees the Russian-language ministry, Sosedkin works from our office in Grand Rapids and in various locations in Russia.
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