STOP AND THINK – Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct. (Thomas Carlyle, 19th century Scottish philosopher and essayist
We’ve all known someone who loudly proclaimed his or her beliefs but whose behavior sometimes made us wonder about those strong ideas. We sometimes say, as Carlyle might have, “What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say.” We call that hypocrisy, and that is not a strong recommendation for one’s integrity. The Bible puts it in reverse:
Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. … Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. (James 2:17, 18)