Talking the Talk Means Walking the Walk

Talk the Talk Means Walking the Walk

As a kid, I remember learning in sports, is if you are going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk.  Does that ring a bell from your youth?  For me, I always wanted to be the athlete who could back up my words with my performance, which wasn’t always the case.  As I got older I understood that it was better to let me performance do the talking, especially if I was talking a good game, (running my mouth) and then lost.  There isn’t much that one can do except make excuses at that point.  In order to avoid this, it was best to keep my mouth shut!  This was one of the best lessons I have learned along the path of life.

This is something that I have taken with me thought out my life.  I have used it in other areas of my life too, not just sports.  I have come to the conclusion that, just as we are reminded in Ecclesiastes 10:14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him? The words of fools do not model their lives nor their actions.  This was me as a kid, no need trying to cover this up, as a child I spoke as a child, now that I am a man, foolish words are never far from my mouth, though they should be.  How about you?  Do you find it difficult at times to keep your mouth in line, or has the years taught you many lessons?

One thing that bothers me the most about Christians in this world is just how some find it easy to talk the talk, but not walk the walk.  I am not here to condemn anyone person, perhaps this is a message to myself and you get the privilege of tagging along.  Just as we live our lives we are given a model and a book that clearly defines how Christians can and should live.  I am not perfect, nor are you, however we should be trying to walk as close to Christ’s steps as we can.  This way of thinking begs me to take a closer look at what the Apostle Paul writes in the fourth chapter of Colossians verse 12-17:

^12” Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The path that we, as Christians, must take is one of “walking the talk”.  Too many times we are eager to use God’s word as weapon, instead of a means of grace, grace that is given to us each and every day!

I want to encourage myself, as well as any who read this, that as Paul writes, we are to put on the new, this means we are to rid ourselves of the old.  Just as I use to run my mouth as a kid, I must see that this kind of behavior isn’t what I am called to do, nor are you.  Looking deeper into verse 13, reminds us that we are to live with each other, which comes with forgiveness, another area of my life that needs work!  Verse 14 brings us to just how to do this, “Above all these” words to love by.  When it is written in the Bible “Above all” chances are, you better take note.  Verse 15 expresses the need to live in one body, peaceable.  Verse 16 illustrates what we are to do with the words from God:  dwell, teaching, admonishing.  Why are these important?  Verse 17 drives this home for me, “talking the talk, means walking the walk”!  Doing both talking and deed, we are called to do so in which we are bring Glory to Thee, not me!  Let me say that again, we are called to bring Glory to Thee, not me!   To revisit, I am not condemning you, I am calling myself out on this one.  If I am to live as a Christian, I am called to live my life in both “word and deed” for something greater than myself.  This means I am encouraged to check my heart, seek God for understanding that I, yes, I, am not perfect and I need His grace if I am to live this life as I am called.  If this sounds like you or “someone you know” encourage them to visit this passage above and seek Christ first.  I am living proof that living smarter is way easier than living harder.

I want to encourage you to mediate over this passage this week, pray each day that your life resembles your speech, if you see any area in which it doesn’t, then give those over to God.  Repent and repeat, and may God give you the courage to walk in His light every day.

Amen!