Valued Actions

You can memorize it and “know it”.

Don’t forget to live it and show it.

Walk it out so that others see it and share it and do it too.

           

There is something there that I sometimes fail to grab on to.  How often do I simply cling to the knowledge of something as opposed to hanging on to that knowledge AND IT’S MEANING?  Knowing a word does not mean I know or understand its definition.  Maybe I know the definition and maybe I can say “I know this word and what it means.”  My next question then becomes, do I know what it looks like to put that meaning in action?  Do I understand or visualize what it would look like to walk it out?

Recently at my job the company Vision, Mission, and Values of the company have been given a face lift.  They changed; do I know them?  A challenge followed to memorize them… memorize ALL of them, the vision, mission, and all nine values.  AWESOME!!!  BUT what do I do with that once that step has been taken?  Take it a step further and look in to the behaviors that define those values (behaviors that are given and do not have to be sought out).  So the next step?  Knowing what those values mean by learning the behaviors… not just committing them to memory but “committing them to heart” as my boss likes to say.

Recently I had a day at work that I was alone and working on a pretty repetitive project by myself.  So what do I do?  I get to work on memorizing those behaviors!!  It raised questions for me:  Why is it so important for me to know these so well?  What is the significance of committing these, not only to memory, but more importantly to heart?  What would it look like to walk these out?  These behaviors, they can be a stretch for some… especially if my pride gets in the way.  They are difficult to walk out but they are there for the purpose of growth.  They are there for the growth of a body not just one part of it, making the body stronger as a whole.  Not just growth for one employee, but growth for a company whose motto right now is “3XN4” (3 times growth in 4 years).

It is awesome for me when this thought process carries over into my life outside of work.  It is beautiful how God can take something from work and turn it in to spiritual growth.  The passage Matthew 7:21 through 29 comes to my mind.  It starts in verse 21 “Not everyone who calls out to me ‘Lord!  Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in Heaven will enter.”  I can talk it up but will I walk it out?  For example:  I could go to church and memorize scripture but what does that mean for me?  I could have those values of “doing what’s right”, being in community, and memorizing what Scripture says, but how is that impacting how I act?  Am I walking that out and committing it to heart or is it all just head knowledge? 

After the “religious looking” try to justify why they should be allowed into Heaven, Jesus follows by saying in verse 23, “But I will reply, ‘I never knew you.  Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”  We can SOUND spiritual, but is there a relationship with Jesus present?  Actions and looks can only get you so far.  I imagine God waiting at the gates of Heaven asking why He should let me in.  I can say “I memorized Scripture” and blurt out some verses.  Do you think He is going to pat me on the back and let me in just because I memorize Scripture?  I imagine Him asking if I had shown that I knew what Scripture MEANS and if I actually walked it out as opposed to just “knowing it”.

God’s values and behaviors are prominently scattered and blotched through Scripture.  A picture that comes to my mind is one similar to a painting that a friend of mine had painted.  You take a clean sheet of canvas and some colors.  You start with one color and splatter it on the canvas.  You know that color separate from the others… what happens next?  You add one more color and splatter it to the canvas… and another and another until you have this VISUALLY perfect masterpiece.  You saw it as an idea in your head and others may not have known the beauty you knew but as the painting comes around, others see it too!!  It is complete and perfect, not just to the artist, but to the spectators as well. 

So when we commit to Christ and take a bit of God’s will and splatter it throughout our lives and take more and splatter it, WE begin to see the masterpiece God has created.  He knew we were His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) but it took that added color in our lives for us to see it.  We don’t just KNOW what God’s will and word says, we splatter it throughout our lives so that others see it too.

You can memorize it and “know it”.

Don’t forget to live it and show it.

Walk it out so that others see it and share it and do it too.

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This is where I am blessed to spend time with Jesus on Saturday mornings :-)