“It
is in our lives and not in our words that our religion must be read.” Thomas
Jefferson
Thomas
Jefferson was apparently a very practical, reasoning man. He did not have
much use for the miracles and mysteries of the Bible, but he understood completely
the practical part of living according to the faith one professes. It is
a reasonable assumption that he had little use for those whose profession of
faith did not match the choices they made in daily living. It is not a
matter of “works” by which we try to earn favor with The Most High; rather it
is the “works” by which we bear witness to the More Excellent Way.
This
kind of living does not come automatically nor easily. It is a conscious
effort by a conscious mind devoted to conscious prayer; that is, we
intentionally and by design live according to the Word we profess, not the
words we speak. It is as is so often said: people believe what they see,
not what they hear.
We
know what is the More Excellent Way; He is Christ the Lord, the Messiah, the
Way. To say that we “know” Him, however, goes far beyond simply saying
His name; it is, rather, by following Him. That is what unbelievers will
believe, and that is what others will take seriously. Let us also
remember, too, that this intentionality and sense of purpose are how our own
lives and our own faith are built up, how the Covenant becomes more real and
less abstract – when we live it as though it is true.
Blessings,
Michael
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