True But Fake Passages: Devotions From Time Of GraceSample

“Actions speak louder than words”

“People lie; actions don’t,” they say. How true. So is this: “Actions speak louder than words.” Talk sometimes really is cheap. It costs nothing and can’t be verified in and of itself. Deeds matter. It’s there that you will find the truth.

That proverb sounds as if it came from the Bible, but it didn’t. In that specific wording it goes back at least to 1736 in a letter from one Boston gentleman to another. But the truth of the proverb aligns with any number of Bible passages. Jesus himself urged his followers not only to evaluate the content of the messages of people who claimed to be religious leaders but to pay attention to their deeds as well:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:15,16). Evil deeds invalidate the spiritual credibility of the speaker.

On the flip side, positive deeds gain credibility for those with the Christian message. When new Christian missions are planted in third-world countries, they often get rooted more quickly when they have a humanitarian component. The mercy ministries that help people with health care, water engineering and purification, and education make the gospel message more believable to skeptical onlookers.

Does your congregation have visible ways for people to help one another and serve your community?