being or doing?

Lewis talks about being vs doing today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

What Lewis says is true... as long as you stress one of his words. He says that God is not exactly interested in what we do. The word "exactly" is what makes this true, because Jesus makes it pretty clear in all of His stories that what we do is very important. He frequently says that what we DO to the least of these, we DO to Him... and He definitely makes it sound like our eternal reward is based rather entirely on what we do.

But. Lewis is right, because just as he says that when we're in a right relationship with God, it automatically puts us in a right relationship with other people... it's also true that when we are in the right position with God, we will automatically DO the things that Jesus talked about.

If God makes us loving, kind, caring, patient people through our interactions with Himself, then we will be loving, kind, caring, patient people to others... and we will treat them in such a way as to honor Jesus. We will DO because of who we ARE. Like in the picture above, the intersection of what we do and who we are becomes our walk with Jesus. We do one because we are the other.

God, help us to BE more like You every day... so that we might naturally DO Your will and help other people.