Walk or just talk?

Earlier this month I mentioned that I recently heard a sermon where the pastor spoke of how a 62-year-old man in the congregation had passed away suddenly.  Another example of how we don’t know what a day will bring, and we don’t know when our appointment with death will be (that's not even my main point today, I just threw that in for free).

This pastor went on to state that, when he met with the family to help plan the memorial service and process their grief, this 62-year-old had a daughter who verbalized a tremendous compliment for her dad.  She said, “First and foremost, dad was a man of God; he not only talked the talk, he walked the walk.”  This pastor went on to muse that, if he had been the one who had died, would the same sentiment be said of him.  Then he asked the same question of his congregation.

As I heard this, this line of thought struck me as particularly relevant.  If I had passed away last month, when I was much sicker than I knew, would someone say of me, “Kevin was a man of God; he not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk”?  This has been a thought-proving and inspiring question.

This exercise can be looked at from a lot of different angles.  First off, know that I'm an inconsistent man, who sometimes falls flat on my face, metaphorically speaking.  Then I get up, and fall down again.  Don’t look to me as some superhuman figure.  No, I put my pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.  So I wanted to make that clear, first of all, even though my desire every day is to “walk the walk,” I’m not perfect.  And I won’t be until I enter the paradise of Heaven and see my dad again, the heroes of the faith, and most importantly, Jesus Himself.

Secondly, whatever praise I would receive, whatever verbal accolades there may be, I give God the honor and glory for it.  Because, whatever good and praiseworthy is ultimately not because of me; it’s Jesus in me and through me.  The Bible says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).  The more I walk with the Lord, the deeper I resonate with this truth.  I’ve regularly spoken of Pastor Rick Ferguson, who unexpectedly passed away at age 46.  In his last sermon, he stated that there are four words that define that Christian life: “Not I, but Christ.”

As I was putting this blog together, I heard a song on the radio that I had never heard before, but it resonated with me.  In the midst of this chapter of suffering and uncertainty, I was so blessed to hear this song from Bryan Fowler.  In the chorus, he says these words: 

“I need truth instead of answers; I need faith instead of sight; I need trust when I can’t find the reasons why.  I need presence over blessing; I need promise over proof; I need hope instead of healing in my life.  What I really need is You” (this is the title track from his 2019 album titled “What I really Need”).  

Fowler’s words invited me to take my eyes off of my circumstances and put them on my Savior.  It was a much needed reminder that in Jesus Christ I have everything I need.  He is hope, truth, and peace.  My desire is turn right around and to point you to Him – maybe even for the very first time. 

So, in conclusion, here’s the point; here’s the big question: am I just making all this up because it sounds good in a blog?  Is this just “talking the talk”?  No, what I’ve expressed (no matter how imperfectly I conveyed it) came from the soul of who I am. 

God bless,

Kevin