SEPTEMBER 14, 2015
Words and Actions
Read:
Matthew
21:28-32
Let
us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.— 1 John 3:18
The
email from the student in my college writing class expressed urgency. It was
the end of the semester, and he realized he needed a better grade to
participate in sports. What could he do? He had missed some assignments, so I
gave him two days to complete those papers and improve his grade. His response:
“Thank you. I’ll do it.”
Two
days—and the deadline—passed, and no papers appeared. He didn’t back up his
words with action.
Jesus
told about a young man who did something similar. The boy’s dad asked him to do
some work in the vineyard. The son said, “I will, sir” (Matt. 21:30). But he
was all talk and no action.
In
commenting on this parable, Matthew Henry concluded: “Buds and blossoms are not
fruit.” The buds and blossoms of our words, which breed anticipation of what we
might do, are empty without the fruit of our follow-through. Jesus’ main
application was to religious leaders who spoke of obedience yet refused to
follow through with repentance. But the words apply to us as well. It is in
following God “with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18)—not in making empty
promises—that we honor our Lord and Savior.
Our
actions in obeying God show Him more love, honor, and praise than any empty
words we might say to try to appear good.
Dear Father, help me to follow through on my promises to You and
to all who depend on me. Especially help me to do Your will and not just talk
about it.
Words are the blossoms, action the
fruit.
INSIGHT:
Matthew 21 describes several events in the
life of Christ. This chapter opens with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
(vv. 1-11) followed by the cleansing of the temple (vv. 12-17) and the cursing
of the fig tree (vv. 18-22). Then the parable of the two sons follows a debate
with the religious leaders about Jesus’ authority (vv. 23-32). It is this issue
that forms the context of the parable, for it deals with how the sons responded
to authority. The son who did his father’s wishes was the one who honored his
father. Bill Crowder
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015