Acts 13:22 “I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to.”
Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this , they were glad and honored the word of the Lord.”
Both of these passages emphasize obedience to Jesus’ teachings. The pronouncement that David was a man after God’s own heart is pretty well known by many, if not most, long-time church goers. But I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone quote the second half of the sentence: “he will do everything I want him to.” There is a prevalent, dangerous, and biblically unsound belief that’s been hanging around the church that what is believed carries more weight than how one believes. But these two verses both emphasize behavior over belief. David is lifted up as faithful because he “will do” and the Gentiles “honored the word,” that is, they put it into practice. Which should be a key “Aha!” moment, because although there are a couple verses that focus on belief, almost everything Jesus preached was about behavior.
David was the example of someone with God’s heart because God could count on him. “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” asked the wealthy leader in Luke 18. Jesus responds, “Keep the commandments …” (18:20). Faithfulness and Christian maturing cannot be measured by what you believe. It is measured by what you do. As I pointed out the other day, orthopraxis (right behavior) trumps orthodoxy (right beliefs) every time.
This is the key reason why I lead congregations to develop both membership and leadership covenants … because behavior counts. Everyone’s behavior … from the choices we make, to the ways we respond to circumstances, to life, and to those we interact with … is the key determiner of faithfulness and spiritual maturity.
What are you going to do today that will demonstrate your faith? Today, how will your faith impact your decisions of:
- How you spend your time,
- What you watch on television,
- What you eat when you open the fridge,
- How you respond when someone disappoints you,
- Who you choose to spend time with
?
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