979) It is so easy in the U.S. to say whatever we want (with few exceptions). Many on Earth do not have the right to say what they think, so those of us who live here should be very grateful. But feeling grateful shouldn’t be the only thing we feel; we also need to harbor a healthy fear of speaking up. Why? Because anything we say is backed up, or not, by what we do. If we say we are Christians, but then take advantage of others’ kindnesses, we are not modeling our faith. If we claim to be followers of God and we talk about others behind their backs, it is a contradiction.

 In Acts 26, as Paul speaks with Herod Agrippa, he tells the king all of his religious history. Paul speaks of being immersed in Jewish law. He tells of how he was a pious Pharisee and that he jailed and even killed many of the early Christians for their faith in the risen Jesus. These things that Paul speaks about were verifiable, so it’s good that Paul tells the truth.

It’s important that are actions “live up to” what we say and when they don’t, that, like Paul, we freely admit our wrongdoing. Our actions are the fleshed-out version of our words.