"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?"
James 2:14, The Message

Talk is cheap.  We've all heard that at one time or another in our lives.  We've heard it ... been told it ... lived it.  Has someone ever made a deal with you and then not lived up to it?  Has anyone ever promised you something and didn't follow through on delivering it?  Maybe you married someone who courted you well, said all the right words, but didn't follow through on the spousal side of the relationship.  If any of this has happened to you, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry you felt that hurt ... that pain ... that disappointment.  I too have experienced some of those things.

If someone claims to love you, but never shows it by actions or deeds, do they really love you?  I can tell my wife I love her every day, but if I don't actually show her by actions, or deeds, how long will she believe it?  There's an old saying that you can stand in your garage all day long, telling yourself that you're a car, but that doesn't mean you'll turn into one.  Likewise, you can tell someone every day that you love them, but unless you actually act on it, it won't take long for them to quit believing you.  Talk is cheap.

A few years ago I was chosen by my company to relocate just outside of Nashville, TN to work on a 5-10 year project.  I traveled to Nashville on several occasions (boy that killed me ... okay, so maybe it didn't) to meet with the people looking to invest in the project, to discuss the details.  The whole project hinged on this group of people following through on what they were telling me.  Nothing happened ... they were all talk.

I believe we have an obligation to God and everyone around us to act like a Christian, or Christ follower, or God chaser, if we profess to be one.  I believe we have an obligation to God and those we're here to take care of to act on our beliefs and claims and declarations and not just sit around waiting for God to drop it all in our lap.  On more than one occasion I've asked God ... believed God for something, and I know in my knower that He followed through on delivering it because I acted on my beliefs.  Do I "bat a thousand" in this part of my life?  Heck no, but I believe I'm better than I was last year, and that I'll continue to get better at acting on my beliefs.  Many times I did the wrong thing, and made mistakes, and hurt others, but I put my faith in action.  Thankfully God was there to clean up the mess. 

God has done so much for me; more than I can recall or remember.  Maybe He's done the same for you.  I don't think He's done with me.  I believe He has more for me to do, create, organize, and accomplish.  My trust is in Him; my faith lies in Him; the work lies with me; the outcome is in His hands.  I don't know about you, but I like those odds.