Display It Through Your Actions

Over the weekend my post The Bait and Switch of Contemporary Christianity bounced around the Internet again (posts do this from time to time), mostly burning through Facebook.

The comments are more than I can keep up with. I did, however, if you missed the activity on this post, want to point you to the most "liked" comment over the last few days. It's a story from Mac:

A few weeks ago I was doing a community clean up in my neighborhood. I rode to the sign-in area with a neighbor, who was also the block captain. His SUV had a giant "Jesus Saves, Obama Spends" sticker on the window. When I got in the car, I had to move the enormous bible off the seat to make room. Clearly they were "gawd fearin' Christians".

Halfway through the clean up I approached a leaf-covered yard that others seemed to be skipping. I started to rake and the block captain ran up to me, pulled me aside and started speaking in a hushed voice.

"We're not doing that yard," he said.

"Why?"

"Because when my wife went looking for volunteers, he said he didn't want to participate in 'this crap'."

"So?"

"So he isn't getting his yard raked by us."

I took a look down the street, at all the nicely raked lawns, and then at my neighbors truck, with the obnoxious window decal.

"You know what," I said, "I'll rake the yard, and if he wants to yell at someone for doing it, he can yell at me. His house is still part of the neighborhood."

My neighbor, with his huge bible, bumper sticker and absurd blow-up nativity scene shook his head and left me to rake the yard alone.

If you're going to publicly display your faith, display it through your actions.

Thanks Mac. Convicting story. Reminds me of this:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."