! Spoiler Alert! This post contains information about the novel Sense and Sensibility.
" It is not what you say or feel that makes you who you are. It is what you do, or fail to do."- Sense and Sensibility Series Drama.
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance! What we feel and say are vastly important, but they must be confirmed by our actions. Faith without works is dead.
We can attempt to make ourselves feel a certain way. We can speak good, noble things-but it does not mean anything if it does not affect the way we actually live and treat people.
" Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works." -James 2:18 (NKJV)
There is nothing to condemn in having strong emotions. The words that proceed from us have the ability to change us-but it all comes down to choosing to act on those words.
The quote above was taken from a drama based off of Jane Austen's novel, ' Sense and Sensibility' which is all about comparing and contrasting the conduct of it's characters. It is about two sisters and their ' love stories.' Marianne Dashwood, the younger sister, falls fully in love with a charming, handsome Willougby. He says all the right things with all the emotion she could desire. Every expression, insinuation, and movement seems to speak to her of his devotion to her. And in truth even Willoughby himself wants to believe in his own noble intentions. But he has led an undisciplined, extravagant, and self-centered lifestyle.His pleasures and needs have long been his first considerations. While he flatters himself that he will act right by Marianne, when circumstances make it so that he is destitute he pursues the most immediate course of action that will rescue him from poverty-marry rich. His feelings and words spoke loud and clear, and so did his actions,but they spoke another language!
On the other hand, a certain Colonel Brandon, has fallen in love with Marianne before Willoughby's entrance. He is not young or dashingly handsome. He has already known what it is like to love someone sincerely, faithfully and lose her. While he begins some gentle attempts to court Marianne he never was able to take the opportunity of fully expressing himself before his rival takes the stage. But during their entire relationship he takes steps to protect Marianne any way he can. By inquiring of her sister as to Marianne's engagement, and informing her of Willoughby's scandal with his ward, and by never losing respect for Marianne. Both men recgonized the beauty and value that Marianne had, but only one acted towards her consistently with honor and love. Guess who got the girl?
It might seem a little extravagant to compare Colonel Brandon with Christ- but any character that exhibits character qualities of love, sacrifice, devotion, and acting on right intentions is exhibiting characteristics that belong to Jesus. Jesus spoke and acted the word of His Father jointly. He was the fulfillment, the action, of God's intentions. Everything He taught, prayed, and preached was confirmed by what He did. He is the only perfect example of practicing what you preach. And that is what really gives power and punch to our words, when we have those actions to back them up. This is all obvious stuff we've heard before. But I need to be reminded often!
Our faith is not alive unless we act on it. To have a living faith we have to allow our faith to move us into action. " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."- James 2:26
" It is not what you say or feel that makes you who you are. It is what you do, or fail to do."- Sense and Sensibility Series Drama.
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance! What we feel and say are vastly important, but they must be confirmed by our actions. Faith without works is dead.
We can attempt to make ourselves feel a certain way. We can speak good, noble things-but it does not mean anything if it does not affect the way we actually live and treat people.
" Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works." -James 2:18 (NKJV)
There is nothing to condemn in having strong emotions. The words that proceed from us have the ability to change us-but it all comes down to choosing to act on those words.
The quote above was taken from a drama based off of Jane Austen's novel, ' Sense and Sensibility' which is all about comparing and contrasting the conduct of it's characters. It is about two sisters and their ' love stories.' Marianne Dashwood, the younger sister, falls fully in love with a charming, handsome Willougby. He says all the right things with all the emotion she could desire. Every expression, insinuation, and movement seems to speak to her of his devotion to her. And in truth even Willoughby himself wants to believe in his own noble intentions. But he has led an undisciplined, extravagant, and self-centered lifestyle.His pleasures and needs have long been his first considerations. While he flatters himself that he will act right by Marianne, when circumstances make it so that he is destitute he pursues the most immediate course of action that will rescue him from poverty-marry rich. His feelings and words spoke loud and clear, and so did his actions,but they spoke another language!
On the other hand, a certain Colonel Brandon, has fallen in love with Marianne before Willoughby's entrance. He is not young or dashingly handsome. He has already known what it is like to love someone sincerely, faithfully and lose her. While he begins some gentle attempts to court Marianne he never was able to take the opportunity of fully expressing himself before his rival takes the stage. But during their entire relationship he takes steps to protect Marianne any way he can. By inquiring of her sister as to Marianne's engagement, and informing her of Willoughby's scandal with his ward, and by never losing respect for Marianne. Both men recgonized the beauty and value that Marianne had, but only one acted towards her consistently with honor and love. Guess who got the girl?
It might seem a little extravagant to compare Colonel Brandon with Christ- but any character that exhibits character qualities of love, sacrifice, devotion, and acting on right intentions is exhibiting characteristics that belong to Jesus. Jesus spoke and acted the word of His Father jointly. He was the fulfillment, the action, of God's intentions. Everything He taught, prayed, and preached was confirmed by what He did. He is the only perfect example of practicing what you preach. And that is what really gives power and punch to our words, when we have those actions to back them up. This is all obvious stuff we've heard before. But I need to be reminded often!
Our faith is not alive unless we act on it. To have a living faith we have to allow our faith to move us into action. " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."- James 2:26