For this week’s Monday Minute, Muriel shares with us how God has been showing her to walk the talk, not just in Bible study, but all over base and the surrounding community.
Walk the Talk
by Muriel Gregory
“I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
Mahatma Gandhi
I remember reading this quote last year and pondering what the world would be like today if Gandhi had been a Christian. I also remember feeling saddened by the fact that the Christians he encountered were so different from the Christ he saw in the Bible.
What do people see when I go about my business at the commissary or when I take my kids to soccer practice? Are my interactions at the FRG meeting sprinkled with God’s grace and love, or do they resemble the common gossip and chatter? Can others recognize Christ in me?
Blend in or Stand Out
It can be tempting and sometimes even reassuring to blend in with the crowd. After all, who wants to stand out? It is easy to act Christlike in my Bible study and at the chapel, but I am called to be more.
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Colossians 1:9-12
In his letter to a small church in Colossae, Paul encouraged believers to continue in their growth toward Christian maturity. False teachings had infiltrated the church and led them away from their true identity in Christ.
The purpose of having knowledge, wisdom, and insight is not to boast or brag, but to love God and others, thereby reflecting His image in the world. This knowledge is experiential. It comes as more time is spent in God’s presence and getting to know him better. Only then can we walk in a manner worthy.
The World or the Word?
This is easier said than done. We live in an over-informed world. I can google any question I have and find links to hundreds of websites. I often feel a pull and a tug between what is acceptable in the world and what I read in my Bible. Sometimes I am confused by both. The struggle is real.
The beauty of God’s word is that it transcends time, cultures, and lifestyles. What was applicable for the disciples 2,000 years ago is still valid for you and me today. The Jesus they walked with is the same Jesus who beckons me to follow him. His ways are not burdensome, but freeing.
“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:29-30 The Message
Walking in a manner worthy is not burdensome. Jesus is not calling us to add one more thing to our never-ending to-do list. He is merely asking for us to prayerfully consider our actions and remove the things that do not look like him.
Walking in a manner worthy means to copy his ways and forego of the rest.
Move Out
Read: “But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:34-40
Reflect: What are the two commandments Jesus is asking us to follow? Why are these labeled the greatest commandments?
Respond: Set your intentions this week to apply those commandments to your daily life. Think of practical ways you can make Matthew 22:34-40 true in your life.
Prayer
Lord, my heart is yours, and it is my most profound prayer to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have for me in your son. I thank you for your word that helps guide my steps along the way, Amen.
For more ways to walk the talk, visit the Planting Roots Resources page.
