By Adam Faughn
Just recently, a particular item had to be recalled from a fairly significant number of stores. A certain brand of tuna that was sold at some regional and national retail stores had to be pulled from the shelves and was recalled when it was discovered that there was a fairly significant potential for botulism. It was discovered that, basically, several of the tins had not been sealed properly, and as such, the potential for this dangerous and potentially deadly problem had become very real. To their credit, the company pulled the product and got to work on making things safer.
Consider for just a moment, though, if that news story had turned out differently. What if that company had decided not to pull this item from the shelves and just go on selling their product as if nothing was wrong? Besides being illegal, we would consider such a decision heartless and cruel. They might come up with a mindset that just says that their product is essential (after all, people have to eat) in addition to being tasty and healthy. However, their product was contaminated and tremendously dangerous.
Now consider if you did not know about that danger and were shopping for tuna. You pick up the tin and read the label to make certain it is what you want to purchase. You double-check the ingredients and put that can of tuna in your cart. You have been told, by advertising and by the label on the tin, that this is healthy and tasty. What you have not been told is that what is inside is not, in reality, all that the label claims. In fact, what is inside could kill you.
When we put it in those terms, that is a fairly frightening scenario. The claim of the company is not really their aim. They are basically claiming that their product is healthy and tasty, but their aim is clearly shown, by their actions, to be nothing but financial profit and even greed.
Such is a terrible thing to contemplate, but it also can have a very sobering application to our Christian lives. It is simply this: is my claim also my aim?
Think of it this way: by singing certain hymns, by "amening" a prayer, or by thanking my Bible class teacher for discussing a particular subject, I am claiming that I agree with those truths. But then, when I go throughout my week, does the aim of my life fit those claims? Am I striving to live what I claimed I believed?
Maybe I sing with gusto that "I want to be a soul-winner for Jesus every day." I claim that by the words that I am speaking. As I go throughout my week, though, is it my aim to actually put those words into practice by contacting people, encouraging people, or teaching people? Maybe the person leading a public prayer leads us by saying, "Help us to remember our shut-ins in our daily prayers," and, in my mind, I say "amen" to that. But do I really, in my daily life, have a desire to actually remember to pray for those shut-ins? Does my aim match my claim?
Or maybe there is a Bible class that deals with a difficult subject like immodest apparel. After the class, I thanked the teacher for showing Scripture and for having the courage to teach lovingly about it. But then, my family goes to the beach later that month, and we share pictures with the world via social media of our bodies almost completely uncovered. Does my aim match my claim?
You see, we would be appalled if that tuna company had done what we laid out earlier. We would be enraged if they knew their product was potentially deadly and just went on as if nothing was wrong. We would be amazed that anyone could be so brazen, cruel, and greedy. We might even invoke the word "hypocrite" to describe their actions because they would be intentionally choosing to have their aim not match their claim.
But in our spiritual lives, we can often excuse the very same behavior when it is spiritually deadly! We claim to want to follow Jesus with our whole being, but the aim of our life does not line up with that claim. We excuse our choices for any number of reasons, even though we hear lessons on them or sing or pray things that make it seem as if we are truly striving to be faithful.
Certainly, there will be times when we simply slip up. Temptation is very real and strong, and we sometimes fall into something that we know is wrong. I am not writing about those moments of weakness.
Instead, there could be times when we sing, pray, or listen to a lesson and "amen" the sentiment, knowing full well that we are going to not follow through on that claim. That is a spiritually deadly way to live.
Each time I sing a lyric of a hymn, pray along with a public prayer, or listen to a lesson, I need to ask myself, before I "amen" it: am I willing to aim my life in such a way that backs up this claim? Only I can answer that for myself, but my answer could mean everything to my everlasting soul.
- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith
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