The Telephone Game — Gossip vs. Instruction - Thursday
Today’s Verse
1 Timothy 4:15
"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress." (NIV)
For a good three or four years in a row, my friend Daniel and I were the DJs for the “Silent Disco” at our Middle School Winter Retreat. If you’ve never seen one before, it’s a strange sight. Without headphones, all you see is a hilarious mashup of offbeat claps, tone-deaf lyrics, and dance moves that belong in their own category of freestyle. It looks completely ridiculous. But put the headphones on, and suddenly, it all makes sense. The music pulls everything together.
It’s funny, but this is how faith can look when our words and actions aren’t aligned. Without the music, without the actions that match what we say, our faith doesn’t make much sense to the world around us.
That’s why Paul encourages Timothy to be diligent in this. He tells him, “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” This phrase emphasizes the interconnectedness of belief and behavior. In context, Paul is writing to Timothy, a young pastor in Ephesus, a city known for its diverse religious practices and philosophical teachings. Paul wants him to grasp this: faith isn’t just something to believe—it’s something to live.
This dual focus on words and actions underscores a principle echoed in Jesus' teachings. Consider the fig tree Jesus cursed in Mark 11:12-14. From a distance, it looked healthy—full of leaves, like it should be producing fruit. But up close, it had nothing to offer. That tree was all appearance and no substance, and Jesus called it out. It’s a sobering reminder that faith should be more than talk—it should bear real fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 spells out the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the visible signs of a heart truly following Jesus.
Today, take a moment to check. Are your actions in step with your words? Or is your faith like a silent disco, confusing to the people around you? Ask God to bring everything into sync so that other people don’t just hear about Jesus from you—they see Him in you.
REFLECTION
If someone observed your life without hearing your words, would they recognize your faith?
