One night a church leader was walking to church when a thief pulled a gun on him and demanded his money or his life. When he reached in his pocket to hand over his wallet, the robber saw his clerical collar and said: “I see you are a priest. Never mind, you can go.” The church leader, surprised by the robber’s unexpected act, offered him a chocolate bar. The robber said, “No thank you. I don’t eat chocolate during Lent.”

The man had given up chocolate as a supposed sacrifice for Lent, but his lifestyle of stealing showed his real character! According to the writer of Proverbs, our behaviour is the best indicator of our character. If anyone says they are godly, their words can only be proven by consistent actions (20:11). This was true of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day as well. He found fault with the Pharisees. He revealed that even though they said they were godly, they kept living selfish lives (Matt. 23:13-36). Appearances and words are deceiving; behaviour is the best judge of character. This applies to all of us.

As followers of Jesus, we show our love for Him by what we do, not just by what we say. May our obedience to God, because of His love for us, be revealed in our actions today.

Author

Marvin Williams

Topics

Our Daily Bread