Walking the Walk

"Dear brothers and sisters,

when I was with you I couldn't talk to you

as I would to spiritual people.

I had to talk as though you belonged to this world

or as though you were infants in the Christian life.

I had to feed you with milk,

not with solid food,

because you weren't ready for anything stronger.

And you still aren't ready,

for you are still controlled by your sinful nature.

You are jealous of one another

and quarrel with each other.

Doesn't that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature?

Aren't you living like people of the world?"

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT

"You can't handle the truth!"


Jack Nicholson's character in the movie A Few Good Men bellowed this famous line in the pivotal court scene of this 1992 drama.  His character, Marine Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, Commander of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, was educating a young, idealistic Naval lawyer on the realities of defending his country and the ugly decisions that sometimes needed to be made.  Colonel Jessup was making the point that most people couldn't bear to face the ugly truth but would rather believe a more attractive falsehood.


While the circumstances are different, there is a shared premise between today's verse and this well-known line.  Sometimes I can't handle the Truth because I would rather stick with what is more comfortable for me to believe. 

Not Ready

When my husband was serving in the US Army, we were familiar with the Family Readiness Groups, or FRGs.  The FRG was designed to prepare families for the rigors of deployment, giving the soldiers the best opportunity for success in the mission they were called to perform.  Readiness of Soldier and family was of the utmost importance.   

It is the same with me.  I must be ready for my mission as follower of Christ.  What I must realize is that Jesus is a stumbling stone; a divider.  His ways go against my natural way of thinking; his sayings are hard to accept and uncomfortable to apply.  In order to receive Him, I must deny myself because I can't serve two masters.  Am I ready to make that kind of commitment?  I must decide whether I am for Him or  against Him.  I can't sit on the fence.  Am I prepared to pledge my full allegiance to Him?

I say I am ready, but maybe I'm like the young, idealistic lawyer.  Maybe I can't handle the Truth.  

Winston Churchill said, "The truth is incontrovertible.  Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."*

My unwillingness to embrace the Truth of the Gospel does not change the fact that the name of Jesus is my only hope of salvation.  I can't work my way to heaven.  I can't live life my way and claim Him as my Lord and Savior.  I can't live the life like that of the lost and reap the rewards like that of the saved.  I can't have it both ways.  

Until I am ready to live my life God's way, I can honestly say that I'm not ready for the Truth.

The Proof is in the Pudding

This confusing phrase dates back to the 1600's and came from the original saying which was, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."  It means that I can look at a recipe for pudding and think it sounds good, but I won't really know until I make it and taste it for myself.  

It is the same with the ways of God's Kingdom.  I can read about Jesus in the Bible, I can memorize Scripture on a daily basis, I can attend every Bible study class that is available, but I won't know if the Truth reigns in my heart until I put it into action.  I won't know if I'm ready for Jesus to be Lord until I test Him out.  

If I can put away my own desire to defend myself against the harsh words of those around me, I am ready.  If I am able to look beyond my own desires and let God have His way in a thing, I am ready.  If I can let go of past hurts and wrongs done to me and love as Jesus loves, I am ready.

The truth is that I like to think I'm ready, but when it comes right down to it, my actions reveal who is really lord of my life: me.  In so many ways, I still reign supreme: My desires, My comfort, My plans.  

Every moment I have the opportunity to do things His way.  It is a constant struggle between my flesh and His Spirit.  As difficult as it may seem,however, it is possible to walk in the Spirit!

Living by God's Power

I have two choices as a believer in Jesus.  I can live in my power, or I can live by God's power.  I can walk in the ways of the flesh, or I can walk in the ways of the Spirit. 

Living life with Jesus is not about talking the talk.  I must walk the walk.  Or, as the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:20, "the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power." (NLT)

The only way I can walk the walk, however, is if I die to myself and let God take over.  Oswald Chambers put it this way.  He said, "When once the light breaks and the conviction of wrong comes, be a child of the light, and confess, and God will deal with what is wrong; if you vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness."  

Recognizing where I am trying to control my life is the first step.  If I want to walk in the Light, I must surrender that selfish desire over to God, confessing my sinful attitude, making the way for God to enter in and make my mind-set right.  

As I let God into different parts of my life, He supernaturally transforms those areas until I no longer recognize them as my own, but as His. Then I will be living in the power of God.   

Maybe I can't handle the truth right now.  But when I am ready, I will be able to let Jesus be Lord of my life by the power of God that is within me!  He will enable me to walk the walk as the Truth sets me free. (John 8:32)  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will allow Jesus to reign in my life.

In what area of my life have I stubbornly held onto control instead of letting Jesus in?

How do my actions betray my state of readiness?

* http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/truth.html#ixzz1pwAX6pKG