If a Belief Doesn’t Affect your Life –
Do you Actually Believe It?
Can you make a list of the things in
which you believe?
God?
Obedience to the Commandments?
Love one another?
Tell the truth.
No cussing.
No cheating – not on your spouse, your
employer, or your taxes.
No lying – not even if you are selling
your car.
No manipulation, even if you REALLY
want something to work out to your advantage.
No gossiping, even if it is absolutely
probably true.
No hoarding of your own wealth if a
family member or brother in Christ is in actual need.
No bragging about yourself, even if
you really really deserve it.
It is fairly easy to make a list, even
a long list of the things in which one believes at least in thought. Perhaps it would be more accurate to make of
list of the things we do each day and then see what our actual beliefs are.
Let’s take a look at Sorbet. Sorbet was named after fruity ice cream because
her mother ate so much of it while she was pregnant. A more appropriate name would have been
Skittles. Sorbet’s motto and the Skittles candy company both have ‘taste the
rainbow’ as their motto. Sorbet likes
color. It shows in her hair which she keeps
colored like a rainbow. Her clothes
reflect all the colors of the rainbow, usually all at the same time. Her food is as close to the rainbow as she
can make it. Her mashed potatoes and
rice are always dyed a color appropriate for an Easter egg. I think you are
starting to get a mental picture of Sorbet.
Anyway, Sorbet is a fine lady of forty. She looks forty, and she is forty. That worked out very well, except that Sorbet
wants to look younger than she is. She
solved that problem by simply telling people she is 47. She has made a practice of telling people she
is seven years older than she really is because then they always say, ‘No! You look so much younger!’ That makes Sorbet very happy. She will be getting the senior discount at
the IHOP before you know it!
Sorbet attends church regularly
because she knows that is the right thing to do. She volunteers to take food to the sick and
visit those in the hospital. She always
takes at least a token gift when she goes.
It may be flowers from her own yard, or from the neighbor’s yard, or a
cheap bouquet from the market.
Regardless of the exact origin of the flowers, Sorbet always puts them
in a nice jar left over from the mayonnaise.
She ties a bit of ribbon around the jar to make it look more store
bought, while the jar still makes it clear that it is not from a professional
florist. Most people assume the flowers
must have come from Sorbet’s own flower beds.
She never tells them any different.
Her cooking works about the same way.
She says you would be surprised what you can pop in the microwave and
then onto your own plate to make people think you cooked it yourself. (She
always takes the time to put a little rainbow color in the mashed potatoes or
rice she distributes.) She buys nice plates
and bowls at garage sales so she can tell people to keep the plate when she
delivers some of her semi-homemade food to them.
Sorbet has learned that you can find
out a lot about people when they are sick, or homebound and wanting someone
with whom they can chat. She has also
learned to ask leading questions to get them to tell a little more about
themselves, or their neighbor, or a church member than is really a good
idea. And, Sorbet is not above telling
them a little more than she should of the very finest bits of information she
has picked up while visiting someone else.
She calls it ‘give a little – get a little.’
Sorbet is what might have been called
an ‘old maid’ in another era. Today she
is called a career woman. Her career
spans about three jobs per year minimum.
She loves to manage her jobs the same way she manages everything
else. Taking credit for everything while
spreading a little (or a lot) of gossip and rumors about everyone else is
Sorbet’s idea of proper work place behavior.
Most of Sorbet’s employers want to fire her after less than a week on
the job, however they usually hang on a while in case Sorbet is the sort who
loves to sue employers for wrongful termination. Sorbet is willing to sue anyone if she is
given the slightest reason. However, to
the good of most of her employers, Sorbet usually finds a reason to quit before
she has to be fired. In her mind she
runs the company while she is there, and someone else with brains enough to run
the company shows up right after she leaves.
Sorbet gives providence all the credit for that. If not for providence, more than half the
companies and businesses in town would be out of business! At least that is what Sorbet thinks.
Sorbet lives alone. In theory she doesn’t believe in using any
bad language or watching smutty movies.
She also believes in dressing modestly, even though her body is her best
feature. She has a very nice shape, at
least when she wears that bikini she thinks she has a nice shape. She also isn’t above using nasty language
when someone really makes her angry. She
is careful not to speak improperly around children, unless of course they are
very bad noisy children. In that case
she is willing to tell them what NOT to do in language they won’t forget. And as for the television, it’s just what’s
on. Sorbet thinks that no one ever
actually turns their TV off just because of filth. Good grief, if everyone turned their
television off because of smut – no one would even be able to watch a
commercial.
Sorbet is also always a bit miffed if
someone does not thank her properly for her good deed. In fact, she is prone to not do another good
deed for that person until she gets a proper thank you, or until she forgives
the unthankful attitude.
Sorbet has a baby brother named
Neapolitan. That right, their mother was
eating Neapolitan ice cream before Neo was born. Neapolitan was just too long a name for
Sorbet to say, so she shortened it to Neo.
Nea sounded like a girl.
Anyway, Neo has a lot of the traits
that Sorbet has. He is neater and his
hair is never colored like the rainbow.
He does like to do good deeds that get recognition. Unlike Sorbet Neo is quite handsome and looks
younger than he is. Because of his looks
and polite manners Neo is often asked to do things at church like work with the
youth or sing in the choir. He does all
this hoping to meet the right people, people who can help him with his career
or social standing. Neo is fairly
satisfied with his life. If you asked
him what his core beliefs are, or what he really values, he would give the same
list as Sorbet. He is a bit hypocritical,
too. For instance Neo likes girls, but
he doesn’t care to get married. He says,
‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’ (That is a polite way of saying girls are
willing to….. well - you
know.)
It is pretty easy to spot people like
Sorbet and Neo. Now, I am sure most
people reading my articles are nothing like Neo and Sorbet. I mean that.
But on the other hand, there is probably just a little bit of Sorbet and
Neo in all of us. It is probably time
for a hypocrite check.
Sorbet and Neo both have a set of beliefs. They could list them for you if you asked
them. However, it doesn’t appear to
really affect the way they live their lives.
That makes the question, ‘Do they really believe those things?’
The question each Christian has to
answer individually is, ‘Do I really believe the things I say I believe? If the answer is ‘yes’, then shouldn’t it
show in how I live my life? Am I
consistently trying to live a life pleasing to Christ? If my beliefs are not showing up in my
actions, then do I really take those beliefs seriously? Do I even believe them at all?’
‘If a Belief Doesn’t Affect your Life
– Do you Actually Believe It?’ is a question each one must answer for his or
her self.
Are you ready to actually follow Jesus
with your actions?
Down
in the Valley
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/f/o/l/followon.htm
Down in the valley with my Savior I
would go,
Where the flowers are blooming and the sweet
waters flow;
Everywhere He leads me I would follow, follow
on,
Walking in His footsteps till the crown be
won.
Refrain
Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus!
Anywhere, everywhere, I would follow on!
Follow! follow! I would follow Jesus!
Everywhere He leads me I would follow on!
Down in the valley with my Savior I
would go,
Where the storms are sweeping and the dark
waters flow;
With His hand to lead me I will never, never
fear,
Danger cannot fright me if my Lord is near.
Refrain
Down in the valley, or upon the
mountain steep,
Close beside my Savior would my soul ever
keep;
He will lead me safely in the path that He has
trod,
Up to where they gather on the hills of God.
Refrain
Quick Thoughts for the Christian.
Barbara Henderson
It is very common that Christians like
to do things for others. It is also
common that everyone likes to receive a sincere thank you for good deeds. Something
is not usually done just for a ‘thank you’, but a thank you is a kind
acknowledgement of an act of kindness, or charity, or even daily duty. When a thank you never comes people eventually
begin to feel under appreciated. This
eventually leads to avoidance of the unthankful person if possible, or stress
in the home if the unthankful person is a member of the immediate family.
Here’s a good way to handle that. Every time you don’t get a thank you that you
honestly deserve, it is time to consider how many times God hasn’t received the
thank you He deserved from you. That is
also a good way to get over that ‘nobody appreciates me’ feeling.
As Christians begin to be personally
more thankful, the more their personal attitude will improve.
Honestly, a thankful heart is the
beginning of change for the better in anyone’s life.
Have a nice day.
Barbara
