1 John 2:3-6   ³ Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments.  ⁴ Whoever says, “I have come to know him,” but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist;  ⁵ but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him:  ⁶ whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.

Consistency is the key to changing our lifestyle. Doing the right things day after day lead to good habits for living. If we are inconsistent, stepping off the right path over and over again, we lose sight of our goals and never really change our habits. Just saying that we want to do the right things does not help us make progress. It is only when our actions follow our words that real change is made.

Living the life of faith requires that we obey God’s commandments day by day. We might talk a good game about wanting to be a good Christian, but until we put the Christian life into practice we will never see positive results. We have an example of how to live the life of faith in Jesus Christ. If we walk as he walked we will be following God’s path.

We need to spend time with Jesus. We need to learn more about the way he lived his life. And we need to put into practice his way of living in order to stay on the path of faith.

Lord, help us to do more than just talk about being faithful. Prod us into putting our faith into action. Amen.