Reflection
The foundation of a truly Christian life is to believe in the teaching of Jesus and to act on it. It becomes obvious in the everyday way in which we live not merely in what we say. It is easy to say the right things but to not do them from the heart. Going to church, saying prayers, reading the Bible and many other goodactivities can actually cause us to be deceived. They make us think we are faithful when in reality the attitudes we have toward others show that we are not. It is easy to claim Christianity but to harbor prejudice and not reflect Christ’s inclusive compassion and love toward others. The test of the sincerity of our faith in Christ is not about the externals. Jesus does not demand anything spectacular only a complete honesty in how we live..
Prayer
Speak Lord, your servant is listening.
Action
Read the entire text of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel.
What is Jesus really saying?
Suggested Reading
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, ’will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of God.
Matthew 7:21
Our Christian witness is authentic when it is faithful and unconditional.
Pope Francis
The depth of our spirituality does not depend upon changing the things we do, but in doing for God what we ordinarily do for ourselves.
Brother Lawrence
Many people think that the mark of an authentic Christian is doctrinal purity; if a person’s beliefs are biblical and doctrinally orthodox, then he is a Christian. People who equate orthodoxy with authenticity find it hard to even consider the possibility that, despite the correctness of all their doctrinal positions, they may have missed the deepest reality of the authentic Christian life. But we must never forget that true Christianity is more than a teaching – it is a way of life. In fact, it is life itself. When we talk about life, we are talking about something that is far more than mere morality, far more than doctrinal accuracy.
Ray C. Stedman
Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion — it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.
Billy Graham
True faith does not contradict its words by its conduct.
Anonymous
While we may not be called to martyr our lives, we must martyr our way of life. We must put our selfish ways to death and march to a different beat. Then the world will see Jesus.
Michael Tait
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Saint Basil
Talking isn’t doing. It is a kind of good deed to say well; and yet words are not deeds.
William Shakespeare
When deeds speak, words are nothing.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
The man who sows wrong thoughts and deeds and prays that God will bless him is in the position of a farmer who, having sown tares, asks God to bring forth for him a harvest of wheat.
James Allen
If your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.
Henry J. Kaiser
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