Stop, look and listen.
1 John 3:18 – Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with saying, “Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you are saying.”
In an election year when unhelpful and undisciplined rhetoric is coming from every corner of every campaign, it may be time to assess a candidate for his or her actions—the accomplishments rather than the promises. Words and actions are intertwined, and in some instances, words can be the action in itself.
When people are dealing truthfully, their words and actions are in sync, while others have difficulty lining up their actions with the words they have said, either due to outright lying or because they lack the skills or potential for follow-through. There seems to be no shortage of words intended to deceive.
Screenwriter and novelist Nicholas Sparks said, “You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter.”
As you examine the individuals seeking positions in the nation’s government, look to their actions. Ask God for discernment to know when words are true.
Pray With Us
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise that, in Christ, we can know the truth. Thank You that Your Word is truth, and that it has set the standard by which we can discern the messages of the individuals running for president, the senate, members of congress, and our local and state offices. Help me to listen between the lines. Help me to know what their past actions have been—that they not be hidden or unavailable. Give me wisdom as I consider the people who will receive my precious vote. I ask it in Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
