Putting it into Practice | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Putting it into Practice | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ken Grant
05/09/22
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In my work as a tutor, I see both the power and the unique challenge of the English language. I work with many students whose families are from other countries and learning English can have its unique challenges. One that causes both frustration and confusion is when a single word has multiple and often conflicting meanings. The struggle to understand the context can lead to sometimes comical confusion.

One of these short, nasty words is ‘act.’ In our current culture where movies and television and those who star in them are such a constant source of attention the primary focus of this word is to pretend to be something that you are not. It involves taking on a persona, a character, and convincing those watching that it is who you truly are. In some cases people become so good at it that those watching have a difficult time determining the difference between the person and the character he or she presents to the world.

The Bible contains a unique term for putting on a face to the world; the word is hypocrite. It referred to one who literally put on a different face than a person’s actual face, but in the biblical record it refers to someone who pretends to be one thing but who in reality is someone very different. It reflects a lack of integrity. The Bible is clear that there should be a consistency between our words and our actions and this is an accusation that many outside of the church make against those within. While not always fair, the challenge to match our words with our deeds as followers of Jesus will always be a struggle.

The biblical writer James is best known for never pulling punches and telling it like it is. His words can be hard to hear, but they always push the reader to live out what God has placed in us as the Apostle Paul wrote. While it is easy to say the right words, living them out can be a very different proposition. Too often American Christianity focuses on believing the right things and declaring the right truths at the expense of being the church in the world. While we must believe the right truths, the real power of those truths comes in living them out among the unbelieving people of the world.

Being a follower of Jesus involves both being and doing. While the being part can often involve sweet times with our Lord, it is in following Jesus’ command to go into the world that we truly see God work and change lives. As we stay with it, God is faithful to do amazing things in and through us. The excitement and joy of the Christian life is in being out among them and seeing just how powerful God is. Living in the world is messy and frustrating and challenging, but it also has its amazing moments and those are what we live for, revel in, and love. We merely have to keep at it until the day we enter into the joy of the Lord and see his pleasure.

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