Belief versus Following – First Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

My Grandfather often said, “You do what you believe.  Everything else is just religious talk.”  This travels through my mind often when I am pondering what to do.  It comes down to a matter of what I believe or think I believe against the act of following Christ.

I do not want to be seen as a “believer.”  I want to be seen as a disciple.  I want to be seen as a follower.  It is easy to say that I have Christian beliefs.  It is often not easy to be a disciple who follows.  It is the difference between talking and doing.  It is the difference between hypocrisy and truth.

All of our lives are set in a temporal direction.  We are born and move forward in time.  At some point we begin to choose what we believe.  When I chose Christ I made vow to follow him.  I know others who have done the same.  There is no point at which I can abandon this vow with honor.  That is the nature of a vow.

I have made vows and abandoned them wrongly.  I have had others violate their vows to me and justify it.  This is what fallen humans do to each other and to God.  What I believe matters but only if it results in action.  I think that the failings of the universal church are the result of holing beliefs without living them when it matters.

As I walk my way toward advent to prepare my heart I need to work through this.  I need to examine how much I choose belief over discipleship and change that.  I need to follow and find the areas where I am not to that I do.  Follow with me if you wish.  Let me know what you are thinking.  I value the conversation.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."