Jump Start # 916

Romans 2:21 “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”

Our verse today comes from a section of arguments that Paul makes toward Jews. They boasted in the law, yet did not keep the law. The very law that they thought justified them, actually declared them guilty. They said one thing and did another.

From that, I want to look at one secondary thought.

First, consistency is important. Saying one thing, but doing another, especially when demanding that someone else has to do something, and we ourselves do not do that, kills whatever message you are trying to teach. People see that. Parents need to be consistent. Kids will quickly learn that mom has a lot of bark but no bite to what she says. They will ignore what parents say because they never follow through. Consistency.

The inconsistent one often judges others while making excuses for himself. He has little tolerance for the disobedience of others, but somehow always has a reason why he can’t do the same. One of our greatest teaching tools is our example. What we do often speaks louder than what we say. Follow the leader works much better than the leader telling but not doing. Jesus was the best at leading by example. He shows us how to pray. He shows us how to be a servant. He shows us compassion and how to use God’s word. Jesus did and Jesus said. We have so many hymns about following Jesus. It is the “Footprints of Jesus” that we follow. Consistency—making our speech and our actions match.

Consistency means simply that, being consistent. It’s easy to leave the church building on a Sunday, all pumped up and full of “let’s do this” type of thinking. But by mid-week all the air has leaked out of us and we are back to old ways. Consistent. We speak of that in wedding vows. One promises the other to love in sickness and in health, in riches or in poverty. Those are NOT options one chooses. The groom doesn’t say, “I’ll take the health and the riches part.” He loves. He loves no matter what. His love is constant and consistent. He loves in good times and hard times.

This is how our faith should be. “Fair weather” Christians is a term that describes those who have faith and obedience in good times, but can’t be found in hard times. It’s the suffering and valleys of life that show our dedication to the Lord. It’s the times when we are alone. It’s the times when we can get away with not being so “religious” that determine if we are really consistent or just full of talk. Consistently following God. Consistently devoted to the Word. Consistently praying.

Paul used the expression, “in season and out of season” to define how Timothy was to preach. Consistent. Hunters know what “out of season” means. Those who love fruits and vegetables understand what “out of season” means. I love watermelon. I love homegrown Indiana watermelon. You can’t find Indiana watermelon in January. It’s out of season. In reference to preaching, Paul wanted Timothy to be consistent. Don’t change your message because of the crowd. Don’t preach things that are safe and easy. Preach Christ. Some audiences will love it. Some won’t. Preach it. Consistent. That’s the key.

The hard thing about consistency is being consistent. Things happen and we use those things to be inconsistent. Company comes. The weather turns foul. There’s a lot of demands at work. You’re tired. You’re cranky. All of those things filter into our thinking and find a place so we don’t have to be consistent. Before long, we are standing right beside those Jews that Paul was writing about in our Roman passage. We say one thing and do something else.

I’m seeing that consistency is harder for younger couples. Not sure why. It seems the little things get to them and they are hit and miss with the Lord. Older couples, with all their aches and pains, seem more steady. Maybe it’s because the older generation is retired and has more time. Maybe it’s because the older generation has weathered so many storms and has benefited from the Lord helping them, that they know to keep on keeping on.

The work of far too many preachers has been ruined because they chose not to live what they were preaching. Their immoral sins usually catch up with them and a scandal and embarrassment fills the church. All their good is forgotten. They leave as a marked man and someone else has to come and try to get everyone else back on focus. This sad tale has been repeated over and over throughout this country. Consistency. Listening to your own sermons.

Consistency is where growth comes from—whether financial, intellectual or spiritual. There is not one sermon that will answer all questions and give you everything you need. But a steady diet of learning, growing, reading and one will have a powerful faith.

Consistency. Does that describe you? Do others know you for always being honest? Do others see you as a regular worshipper of God? Do others know that you will not talk nasty nor gossip. Steady. Consistent. Always. Faithful. Counted upon.

It all starts with today. Today I will…

Roger