Articles
The Proof
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." There is a lot of truth in that statement, and it is also the reason why we often fail to do the things we ought to do, as the people of God: We've never done it before! We quite often hesitate or leave undone altogether the things we know we must do, but because we have never done it, and because we keep putting it off, it never gets done and we excuse ourselves by saying, "But I don't know what to do!"
So, just do it!
I don't know what that thing is that you know you should be doing, but just haven't done, but forever putting it off will obviously not get it done, so just do it. As long as you continue to put it off, of course you can always say, "But I've never done that before!" The only way you will ever be able to stop using that as an excuse is to just do it. The only way you will have the experience to know what to do is to just do it. The only way it will get done is to just do it. As someone has said, "The proof is in the doing." Just do it.
Every one of us has, at some point in our lives, not done some new thing. But, at some point in our lives, we also have had the opportunity to do some new thing and, given that opportunity, we made a choice to either do or not do something we've never done before. At that point, we had no experience but, if we desired to do, we acted — we did — and we could then say, "I did it!" If it was something we did not want to do, we did not do.
So, what is it you need to do? Whatever it is, the answer is not to wait until you have experience, because that requires doing before that will happen; the answer is to just do it. Don't wait, don't put it off, don't make excuses. Just do it.
Becoming A Christian? In spite of the beliefs of many, one does not become a Christian by some inexplicable, supernatural experience. The Bible does not teach that we become followers of God by being overwhelmed by some strange feeling and sudden urge to call out to Jesus for salvation. What we find is that the message of the gospel had to first be preached and heard, and those who accepted it as truth then believed and obeyed. God's word tells us plainly it is the one who does the will of the Father in heaven (Matt. 7:21) who is able to enter into the kingdom [the realm of all the saved].
Maybe you haven't done this because you don't know what to do? It is easy to learn, for all one has to do is look at the numerous examples of conversion found throughout the book of Acts, see what they did, and then do what they did! In each case, we find the word of God was preached, the people heard, certain ones believed, and those who believed were baptized into Christ. [See Acts 2:37-47; Acts 8:4-13; Acts 8:26-38; Acts 9:1-18 (Acts 22:6-16); Acts 10:24-48; Acts 16:25-34; Acts 18:5-8.] Many people heard the word, but it was those who did what was commanded who were saved. Would you do the same? It will not be until you do what God says you must do that He will do what you cannot do in and of yourself: forgive. You see, there are some things we cannot do, but God's plan for our salvation requires that we do what we can [obey], and promises God will do what we cannot [forgive].
Good intentions here are not enough; we must do what God has commanded. Jesus is the Savior “to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:9), so until we do, we are not saved. The proof of our desire is not in the will or even in our words, but in the doing. So, don't put it off any longer. Just do it.
Teach The Lost? From my experience, this is one of those duties that is often left undone because we claim inexperience [we've never done it before] or ignorance [we don't know what to do], and we are somehow content with not knowing and not doing. Shame on us! Souls are lost and we are content to not know or not do? Surely not! It will not be until we do the teaching that some “may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26), so let us do this important work!
If you delay or hesitate because you don't know what to do, learn — and then just do it. If you just haven't done it before, then just do it and you can't say that anymore. It is not as difficult as we sometimes make it out to be, and we probably already know what we should teach, so please don't excuse yourselves from doing the very thing that may lead a lost soul to salvation. You know how important this is, so just do it. You can tell me all day how much you love your friends and neighbors, but the proof is in the doing. Just do it.
Helping Someone In Need? We all know that loving God and loving our neighbor are high on the list of things pleasing to God, and we would all like to believe we are doing just that; but as with everything else, the proof is in the doing. Do you love the Lord? Yes? Then are you keeping His commandments (John 14:15)? Do you love your neighbor? Yes? Then are you helping him in his need? John rhetorically — and pointedly — asked, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17), and then admonishes us, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). You see, the proof of our love is not in the talking, but in the doing. If you say you love your brother or your neighbor, prove it by what you do.
And let us not excuse ourselves by saying we don't have enough, or didn't know, or didn't have the opportunity. Most of us are abundantly blessed with material goods and more than enough financial resources to help someone in their need. Do we always have enough? Do we always know? Do we always have the opportunity? Of course, not; but that is not always gong to be the case. Instead of making excuses, find a way to do what you know needs to be done, and don't wait on the proverbial 'someone else' to do it.
Remember, God's word urges us to “not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:16). Note that it is not our intentions that please the Lord, but what we do. Unless and until we actually do something, we really haven't helped anyone. By definition, compassion is sorrow for the condition of another, coupled with a desire to relieve them of their suffering and the action taken to remedy the condition. No one is helped by mere words (see also James 2:15, 16); the proof is in the doing. Just do it.
James also reminds us, “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17), so if you or I know what we should be doing, but we do not do it, we convict ourselves of sin by not doing. We do no one any good by not doing; we are not pleasing to God if we are not doing what He demands; we save no souls by not doing the teaching we should be doing. The proof of our love for God and our fellow man is in the doing. The proof of our faith in God is in the doing. The world is looking for proof that the ways of the Lord are best; are we the proof they need? — Steven Harper
