Too many words

The winner of the Tour de France in the years 1924 and 1925, was an Italian named BOTECHIA. During World War I, he had fought on the Austrian-Italian border, and many times he was called upon to deliver messages to his leaders in the mountains, by bicycle, and right through enemy fire.

Everything he learned at that time, and the difficulties and sufferings he endured, helped him later to win the most important race for all cyclists. In the service of others, he had learned to live in difficult circumstances, and even to risk his own life.

Whenever anyone has to go through difficult situations, they learn to be stronger in their lives. Our Christian life is not demonstrated by what we say, but by what we do. Many times we need to be in complicated situations in order to learn to trust in God and receive power from him to cope.

We are used to talking too much and doing too little. We are specialists in words and illiterate in power. We forget that the Kingdom of God is not made up of words, but of power. Where is the power today to change the world? Can God use us to do it? Have we become accustomed to triumph over circumstances in our lives?

Maybe the problem is that we have learned, rather, how to escape from complicated situations. God uses people who have learned to endure difficulties and resolve conflicts, not with words, but with power.

You know, the source of power is not in greatness, or in hardships, nor is it in some "secret formula". God puts power in our lives according to our love for others. You might say power comes from the compassion we have for other people. If we spend our lives concerned only with ourselves, we do not need the power of God for anything.

If we aren't capable of suffering for others, fighting for the good of another person, crying over the lost... if we don't have compassion, our Christianity is only words and without power.

When the Lord Jesus was on earth, he felt compassion for the people he met. He healed, loved, helped, taught about the Kingdom of God, did everything to give the people meaning in their lives. He did it for love; he wept within for every woman or man who was lost.

Until we learn to see a person in that same way, our Christianity is just words. We must depend on the Spirit of God to receive compassion from him... and power.