“Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I need to walk by again?”
“I want to live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.”
“Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!”
The problem with a lot of brave words is that they’re inherently stupid.
I was thinking about the relationship between heroic words and actions last night, as I watched an in-house dramatic production put on by the younger set in my church. The scenes were rough-hewn but effective, with a provocative “put-your-life-on-the-line” missionary theme. Christ calls us to live heroically, to step away from the entangling vagaries of life, regardless of cost.
Ironically, as much we love valiant pronouncements (review your favorite movie epics) most of us can’t do much more than make them. Have you ever considered how many brave words end up as just that—brave words? The majority of bold assertions don’t survive past childhood; apparently, once they leave your lips, the odds are against it.
All this was highly relevant last night, as I considered the correlation that gutsy statements should have to defiant action. There ought to be a distinct line of causality, especially for people who know Christ. I believe “brave words” are necessary—essential, in fact—to a bold life.
We identify the fire-eaters because their fiery words tip us off; they didn’t down that kerosene thinking it was lemonade. Likewise, if someone is lion-hearted, at the right time he is willing to say so, to clarify that he didn’t stumble into the battle zone by accident.
In terms of proof, consider David’s pre-battle chat with Goliath.
This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:45-46, The Bible)
For sheer bravado, no one has anything on David’s call-out. No need to mention the outcome of the engagement. In a similar vein, consider the words of Paul the theologian:
One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14, The Bible)
No armchair philosophy here. For pure knock-down-drag-out GRR, Paul’s purpose statements cannot be touched. One has only to read the book of Acts to see whether he made them good. Finally, consider the words of a pre-crucifixion Jesus:
I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:32, The Bible)
Jesus’ assertion is pure audacity. When I die, he says in so many words, I will become the magnetic center of the world. Questions, anyone? His statement is one that would be hard to argue today. And Christ, without argument, made more fearless, brazen assertions than any of his disciples—perhaps more than all of them combined.
Things to say and things to do—they are linked, both worthy of a calculated flair. But never an empty bluster, never egotistical airs. A Christian is called to say brave words and then intrepidly do them. The mysterious faith which Christ unleashed still fuels the most audacious assertions and the most daring lives.
Where bravery’s concerned, a Christian should have the highest word-to-action ratio of any man alive.
3 comments:
dude i appreciate your words. you are so right on. it is so easy to speak, but it takes guts to do. the old saying is true, "actions are louder than words." though i am truly inspired by your words. thanks for sharing them.
so what bold and courageous actions have you taken lately? just curious. you seem like a man of action to me.
"so what bold and courageous actions have you taken lately?"
What a question! - both a pleasure and a challenge.
On the whole, I believe my "bravest," most crucial action is to say with Paul, "I'm aiming to know Christ, to gain Christ and nothing less, and I won't stop until I do." But those "brave words" must be proven over a lifetime.
In a less epic sense, I've launched into my first year of seminary, trusting the God will care for Lindsay and me on our shoe-string budget. :)
And there is the daily task of simply fighting to be like Christ - not caving in to our self-obsessive, sexually-fixated, consumerist, materialist culture, to the "acceptable" sell-outs in life. Hopefully I won't sound pretentious, but I truly believe that simply living out a life in Christ is the most revolutionary activity in the world.
that is cool man. i want to say i appreciate your heart and am enouraged by your faith. keep pressing on to live life in Christ. keep it real.
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