What's Behind the Words?

R

arely do I ever write a check and almost as rare are the moments when I actually pay with cash.  The credit card and the debit card have all but eradicated the use of paper money or checks. However, this was not the case several years ago. I was astonished to learn that the establishment where I intended to make a purchase didn’t take credit or debit cards.  Fortunately, I had my checkbook with me, so I whipped it out, took out a pen, and began writing the check.  What an odd sensation this was. 

 

As I filled out the information on the front of the check, I became more and more aware that a check itself is just a piece of paper.  The numbers and the words are only as valid as the amount of money I have in my bank account.  Moreover, the check is absolutely worthless until I place my signature on the bottom line, stating I have the funds to cover the amount written on the check’s face. 

 

The lady behind the counter had only my signature to guarantee the funds were there but she really didn’t know what was behind those words.  All she had was a piece of paper with my name on it.  Had the transaction been made with a credit or a debit card, the process would have been a little different.  A machine would have indicated the amount of money in my account and would have approved the transaction.  But the computer would show only the balance that was in the bank, not the exact balance of what I actually had in the account.  Again, the lady behind the counter would have been obligated to trust the computer and me in order to complete the transaction.

 

It isn’t difficult to apply this situation to our walk with the Lord.  In fact, Isaiah wrote about this very thing in order to show the people of Israel the importance of worshiping God completely, not just in one aspect.  In Isaiah 29:13 God says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” 

 

Essentially God is accusing the people of writing bad checks, and bad spiritual checks at that.  They worship God with their lips, speaking His name with reverence, attending every worship service, giving their tithes and offerings regularly, but deep in their hearts, they don’t believe what God says nor do they truly worship Him.  There is nothing behind their words.  They are spiritually bankrupt, having no spiritual treasury or backing for the claims they make.  Not only do they not worship God, they also misrepresent Him to all those who see and hear them.  They make claims about their religious beliefs, but their lives do not support their claims. 

 

This is so true of the Church today.  Everywhere we see churches that are increasing in number, but they are not growing.  They are implementing new programs, trying new worship schedules, and attempting to accommodate and adapt to our modern culture.  Pastors avoid difficult topics from the pulpit and content themselves with remaining politically correct in order to appease their congregations.  In the process, they misrepresent God and make it difficult if not impossible for their congregations to feed on the truths of God’s word.  They speak in long, beautiful, flowing sentences but they say nothing.  There is nothing behind their words! 

 

And how about us as individual Christians?  We can ill afford to point our fingers in others’ faces.  We find it so easy to attend worship services, to serve on committees, to champion the cause of missions, and to discuss the latest passage of scripture we have read.  But do our lives match up to our claims?  Are we writing good spiritual checks that can be cashed by those who meet us and hear us and see us on a daily basis?  Are we truly representing the cause of God and sharing His truths on a daily basis? Are our hearts near or far from Him?  Are we worshiping Him in speech only?  What is behind the words we use today?