The big news this week is about national security advisor Mike Waltz being fired or demoted from his position, presumably over his misuse of the Signal App for government communications.
The irony is, Mike Waltz was fired a day after praising President Trump during his recent cabinet meeting. We are again reminded about the true ways and agenda of President Trump in just his second 100 days:
- Power-hungry
- Deceptive
- Selfish
- Uncompassionate
Honestly, Mike Waltz should have learned his lesson and paid attention to President Trump the first time he was busted for using the Signal App for government communication.
President Trump assured the nation and his cabinet that mishandling of sensitive information would not be tolerated in his administration.
It was foolish of Mike Waltz to continue using the app for communication, especially when our government has other secure channels for those purposes. Mike Waltz should have practiced basic military communication protocols.
There is a spiritual lesson here for God’s people also, we are called to do more than just talk about or study God’s Word and ways, we must practice what we preach (Exodus 19:8, James 1:22).
What Is Practice
There is a big difference between knowing something and doing it. It is pointless to get knowledge or read our Bibles if we aren’t going to practice what it teaches us to do. Practice is defined as, “An actual performance or application, a repeated or customary action; a systematic exercise for proficiency.”
Most of us understand that faith is something we’re supposed to do, not just head knowledge. We are to apply the virtues and ways of God to how we live our lives and treat others. We practice our faith daily, not just on weekends or holidays.
The cliché is true: “We must each practice what we preach.” I am not saying we will always get being a Christian right, we will make mistakes, and that is why we each need grace. I’ll be the first to say I need all the grace I can get from God.
However, God’s people cannot keep practicing their sinful and worldly ways; we put our faith to work and it makes us different from the fallen world (Romans 6:1-2, Galatians 5:1, Ephesians 4:22-24, Hebrews 12:1).
We work out our faith because we’re saved, not to be saved. Practicing the ways of God is what makes us different from this fallen world. The New Testament writers left us the Bible to help us live differently from the world.
We are encouraged to put our knowledge and virtues to work to make a difference (Romans 10:17; 15:4, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Ephesians 4:11-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 2:17-18, 2 Peter 1:20-21). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about practicing and living out their faith.
Lāmaḏ
The ancient world was corrupt and evil; people followed their flesh and evil hearts. When God set His people free, He commanded them to be different from other nations and this fallen world (Exodus 19:5-6, Deuteronomy 14:2).
God gave His people His commandments to teach them His ways and help them practice them instead of being like this fallen world (Exodus 20:1-17; 31:18, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Psalm 19:7-11).
The Hebrew word for practice in the Old Testament is lāmaḏ and it can also mean, “To learn, be train, exercise or teach,” depending on the context it is used in. That’s why Judaism places an emphasis on education and practicing the ways of God. Talmud Torah is the spiritual practice of exercising Jewish learning and following the ways of God. Below are the main stages of Jewish education:
- Consecration
- Bet Sefer
- Bet Talmud
- Bet Midrash
Not every Jewish pupil makes it to the final stage, because that is reserved for only the best of the best students who are proficient in practicing the principles of Jewish education. What is interesting is that when Jesus called His Disciples, they weren’t following another Rabbi; because they weren’t the best of the best.
That is why they were excited when Jesus, who was a Rabbi, invited them to be His students, or what we call disciples (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:2-11, John 1:40).
Since they weren’t chosen by other rabbis, they were working in their family businesses, they were humble workers, not out fighting and striving for earthly greatness or flexing their spiritual head knowledge.
Jesus was more concerned about their hearts and willingness to obey God than their status or finances. Jesus emphasized the need for His Disciples and followers to use what they learned from Him, which is a basic requirement between rabbis and disciples in Judaism (Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46-49).
He even confronted the Pharisees, who were the best of the best in regards to the Jewish law, about how they did not follow the ways and commands of God themselves (Matthew 23:1-7). The Pharisees are a physical and historical reminder that knowledge about God isn’t the basis for being His people; practicing it is.
Jesus reminded His followers about obeying their parents because they love them (John 5:19; 14:15). Jesus emphasized the need for His followers to prepare and practice their faith by telling parables (Matthew 13: 1-9, 31-32; 22:1-14; 25:1-46.) It does us no good to study God’s Word if we’re not going to use what we learn in our lives.
PBS
In other breaking news this week, President Trump pulled funding for PBS and NPR. Growing up as an Army brat around the world, I was not only entertained by PBS, but I was also educated to a degree.
Most of us have fond memories of our childhood watching staples like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers on PBS. We even learned basic Christian principles like loving our neighbor and being kind to people who weren’t like us.
While I understand times have changed and some of the content of these platforms isn’t always as conservative as what we may want. But we must practice what we preach and live out our faith, a faith that cannot be forced on others because that is not being Christlike:
- Loving
- Compassionate
- Honest
- Forgiving
History shows us that forced religion does not honor or glorify God. The Crusades are still a black eye on the church hundreds of years later. Nazi Germany tried to exterminate the Jewish people over disagreements about religion, social ideology, and politics.
In the 21st century, jihadists strive to practice their faith by getting others to convert to it. God’s people are called to be more like Him and less like this world, and that takes more than knowledge; it takes lāmaḏ!
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