Want to know God?

FBC Hazel Green

Jean Crist writes in the Christian Reader, “My pastor and his wife were enjoying a Saturday evening outing, and I was baby-sitting their 4-year-old daughter, Angela. As I was putting her to bed, she said, ‘I think you had better call my mom and dad and tell them I don’t think I can go to church tomorrow.’ ‘Why not?’ I asked. ‘It’s the sermons,’ she stated. ‘They are just too long and I don’t understand them.’ ‘Really, your father is a very good preacher,’ I assured her, ‘but I know that a little girl like you would not understand everything. Why don’t you pray and ask God to help you understand your daddy’s sermons?’ ‘Well,’ she said thoughtfully, ‘I don’t think He understands them either!’”

Sometimes the truth hurts. Whether you are a pastor, preacher, teacher or if you are just a good old Baptist, our lives “preach” so much more than our words. Words are important. They can change the course of history or the direction of one’s eternal destination. But our words must be backed up by consistent living and clear communication. If the life doesn’t match the testimony, the communicated message becomes a conflicted message and the recipient fails to understand. Or all too frequently, maybe the recipient does understand. Maybe he or she understands that our words and our walk are not the same.

If you are a follower of Christ, what kind of message are you sending? Is the communication clear? Does the walk match the talk? If you are not a follower of Christ, maybe you’ve observed in others that the talk and walk don’t correspond, and as a result, your belief is that Christianity is not valid. After all, if their faith were real, then why aren’t they living it?

Great question. But the answer may be as complex as a 4-year-old understanding her preacher-father’s sermons.
Sometimes the words of those who claim Christ may be confusing because of the inconsistencies in their life. The key is not in understanding their words but in understanding His words. “I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.” And even a 4-year-old can understand that.