If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth…And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 1 John 3:17-18, 23
Believe. A word we see during the Christmas season scrolled onto ornaments and lettered onto greeting cards. But what does it really mean to believe?
Natalie Wood, as the young Susan in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, mechanically repeats the words, “I believe, I believe, I believe”, then adds, “I know it’s silly, but I believe.” Susan struggles throughout the film to believe that Kris Kringle, the kind old man that works at Macy’s, is indeed Santa Claus.
It’s isn’t difficult to understand Susan’s initial disbelief. After all, her mother Doris has not allowed any fairy tales or other childhood imaginative games to enter into Susan’s life. Devoid of practicing her imagination, Susan seeks reality and truth, not princesses, giants, or Santa. Only in spending time with Kris does Susan realize his true identity. As she sees him interact with other children, her doubts start to dissolve. Her belief solidifies when he delivers her nearly impossible Christmas wish.
Believe, according to the dictionary, is to have confidence in the existence or truth of something. When we say we believe in God, we are saying we believe God exists and we believe in the truths of His teachings. But it’s more than just an acknowledgement of His existence.
Believe goes further than head knowledge. The word can be deconstructed to mean “be – live” or to live by. To believe in something is more than intellectual acquiescence. It’s putting our belief into action.
Belief is not just a nod to some theological thought that Jesus is the Son of God. What if belief requires us to “live by”, to live out that thought in our daily lives? What if belief requires us to do as Jesus did and to do as Jesus said, that is, to love people in ways that meet their needs?
Jesus Himself pointed out this difference between mere belief and live-by. In Matthew 25:31-46, He speaks of separating the sheep from the goats; that is, He will judge all people on how well they followed His example of giving food to the poor, water to the thirsty, shelter to the foreigner, clothes to the naked, care for the sick, and visits to those in prison. Jesus says whatever we did for others, we’ve essentially done for Him. Jesus rewards or punishes us according to how well we’ve loved our neighbors. The love we show is directly proportional to the reward we receive (or don’t receive). The love we put into action, not mere intellectual agreement with the belief that Jesus exists, determines our eternal fate. Note that both groups, those rewarded as well as those punished, acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Yet Jesus judges them based on how they lived. It’s about deeds, not words or convictions, and the consequences are eternal. (See Matthew 25:31-46, especially verses 45-46, below.*) James 2:26 states, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” To believe in our hearts and minds is not enough: we must act upon those beliefs in very tangible ways.
How we act upon those beliefs is explained by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40** where He calls us to love our neighbors. It’s the second greatest commandment after loving God with our whole being. Jesus goes even further to say that everything else hinges from these two precepts. What if believe means to live by Jesus’ command to actually and practically love our neighbors? If we fail to do so, we may indeed perjure ourselves of our purported theology. As our key verse states, how can God’s love be in us?
Faith is about believing but it is also, more importantly, about living by. If we live like Jesus lived, with compassion and love for other people, then faith is less about the inner journey of sanctification, Bible studies, and Christian retreats. Instead, it is the public path of love: living by and living out His love as we love our neighbors, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves.
Lord, may we follow in Your footsteps to be counted as sheep with the reward of heaven rather than goats with the punishment of hell. May we live out our belief in You by responding to the needs of “the least of these” with practical help delivered with kindness, compassion, and love. May justice, not judgment, rule. And may we truly believe. Amen.
*Matthew 25:45-46: “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
**Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of street art in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, France.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action. Love pursues justice for those oppressed, mistreated, or suffering. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Believe. A word we see during the Christmas season scrolled onto ornaments and lettered onto greeting cards. But what does it really mean to believe?
Natalie Wood, as the young Susan in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, mechanically repeats the words, “I believe, I believe, I believe”, then adds, “I know it’s silly, but I believe.” Susan struggles throughout the film to believe that Kris Kringle, the kind old man that works at Macy’s, is indeed Santa Claus.
It’s isn’t difficult to understand Susan’s initial disbelief. After all, her mother Doris has not allowed any fairy tales or other childhood imaginative games to enter into Susan’s life. Devoid of practicing her imagination, Susan seeks reality and truth, not princesses, giants, or Santa. Only in spending time with Kris does Susan realize his true identity. As she sees him interact with other children, her doubts start to dissolve. Her belief solidifies when he delivers her nearly impossible Christmas wish.
Believe, according to the dictionary, is to have confidence in the existence or truth of something. When we say we believe in God, we are saying we believe God exists and we believe in the truths of His teachings. But it’s more than just an acknowledgement of His existence.
Believe goes further than head knowledge. The word can be deconstructed to mean “be – live” or to live by. To believe in something is more than intellectual acquiescence. It’s putting our belief into action.
Belief is not just a nod to some theological thought that Jesus is the Son of God. What if belief requires us to “live by”, to live out that thought in our daily lives? What if belief requires us to do as Jesus did and to do as Jesus said, that is, to love people in ways that meet their needs?
Jesus Himself pointed out this difference between mere belief and live-by. In Matthew 25:31-46, He speaks of separating the sheep from the goats; that is, He will judge all people on how well they followed His example of giving food to the poor, water to the thirsty, shelter to the foreigner, clothes to the naked, care for the sick, and visits to those in prison. Jesus says whatever we did for others, we’ve essentially done for Him. Jesus rewards or punishes us according to how well we’ve loved our neighbors. The love we show is directly proportional to the reward we receive (or don’t receive). The love we put into action, not mere intellectual agreement with the belief that Jesus exists, determines our eternal fate. Note that both groups, those rewarded as well as those punished, acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Yet Jesus judges them based on how they lived. It’s about deeds, not words or convictions, and the consequences are eternal. (See Matthew 25:31-46, especially verses 45-46, below.*) James 2:26 states, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” To believe in our hearts and minds is not enough: we must act upon those beliefs in very tangible ways.
How we act upon those beliefs is explained by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40** where He calls us to love our neighbors. It’s the second greatest commandment after loving God with our whole being. Jesus goes even further to say that everything else hinges from these two precepts. What if believe means to live by Jesus’ command to actually and practically love our neighbors? If we fail to do so, we may indeed perjure ourselves of our purported theology. As our key verse states, how can God’s love be in us?
Faith is about believing but it is also, more importantly, about living by. If we live like Jesus lived, with compassion and love for other people, then faith is less about the inner journey of sanctification, Bible studies, and Christian retreats. Instead, it is the public path of love: living by and living out His love as we love our neighbors, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves.
Lord, may we follow in Your footsteps to be counted as sheep with the reward of heaven rather than goats with the punishment of hell. May we live out our belief in You by responding to the needs of “the least of these” with practical help delivered with kindness, compassion, and love. May justice, not judgment, rule. And may we truly believe. Amen.
*Matthew 25:45-46: “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
**Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Text and photograph copyright © 2023 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of street art in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, France.
Not a subscriber to the monthly blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Jesus says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:37-40). The Christian faith boils down to these two precepts.
Social justice puts that love into action. Love pursues justice for those oppressed, mistreated, or suffering. How we treat others, particularly those less powerful in society than ourselves, matters (Matthew 25:31-46).
Racial justice is one aspect of social justice. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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