Phony-Baloney!

 phony-baloney

[ foh-nee-buh-loh-nee ]

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Noun:  nonsense; baloney.

Adjective: nonsensical; foolish.

 

I have found myself in a whimsical mood the last few days, and especially so when in the midst of my morning Bible study/Coffee time with the Lord… which in itself is a little unusual, as we have had a round of early (read that: ‘Very Early’) morning thunderstorms for at least a week running now.  And if you have a big 65 lb dog like mine who gets quite nervous and shakes with the streaks of lightning, booming thunder and heavy rain pelting the roof… then you know that even with a little sedative… he still needs me to stay up and comfort him! 

Thus… I’ve been less than energetic and alert when I sit down in my study with my coffee, Bible study program and notepad.

But a funny thing kept happening every time I got into the midst of my study time… and maybe the exhaustion has something to do with it… but I found myself getting energized with a CHEERFUL expression on my face, and an EXCITED and HIGHLY EXPECTANT feeling building up inside of me!

One of the standby verses of scripture that I have been writing down and studying for a few weeks now, is in Romans 1:16-17.  I mentioned this verse in a post at the end of last month and how it talks about the gospel of Christ as being “the power of God unto salvation for everyone of us who believe in it…” and reveals the righteousness of God through our personal actions of faith… and sums it up by stating that “the just shall live by faith.”  (KJV)

What’s interesting is that the meaning of “shall live” in the original Greek, defines “a life alive with cheered, excited and highly expectant feelings.” (Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary)  No wonder I’ve been quickly elevated into a whimsical mood!

Then, in the midst of that whimsical mood, I turned in my continuing study of “living by faith” to James 2:17 in The Passion Translation and read,

“So then, faith that doesn’t involve action is PHONY.” 

And I immediately burst out laughing, quickly reverted to my childhood and started rhythmically singing: ♫ PHONY-BALONEY! ♪ PHONY-BALONEY! ♫

The Message Bible supports this implied foolishness, or as the Oxford Online Dictionaries defines as “a lack of good sense”, by making the statement:

“Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is OUTRAGEOUS NONSENSE?” 

Who ever said that God doesn’t have a sense of humor… and in the midst of the humor, He makes a very strong point in demonstrating the folly of those who say that they believe in the Word of God, will even recite some meaningful verses that have to do with their need… but then… take no action that would demonstrate the confession of their faith.

The next verse further explains the Apostle Paul’s teaching, by simply declaring:

"Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions." (James 2:18- Good News Bible)

I think that the good Lord will use humor as secret weapon that allows Him to prove a point to a believer, that they might not ordinarily be open to hear…

Personal point in view… As I was gleefully singing my little child’s gotcha verse “Phony-Baloney”, I began to review the different people that I have witnessed over the years who talked a good story… but… for whatever reason… didn’t have the understanding, or possibly the personal revelation of God’s love for them, or maybe lacked the confidence to take an action based on their confession of faith in God and His Word…

But then it hit me hard… and I straightened up in my chair… and got really serious… because I saw myself doing the same thing at different times in my past! 

GULP!  Not real funny then!

So, while I can’t really judge anyone else… I can and should look at myself and admit to the faults of my past… but then also see the great strides that I have made and the lessons I have learned as I have sought to:

“Love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind.” (Matthew 22:37 - God’s Word © personalized) 

You know… at times I enjoy a good bologna sandwich with a slice of cheese on white bread!  It brings back pleasant memories of my childhood and the loads of fun I had… But it wasn’t much fun when friends occasionally told me that I was being a “PHONY-BALONEY” when I made a statement concerning something I said I could do… or something I said that I believed in… and didn’t prove it by my actions!

As an adult… and especially as a Christian adult… I work diligently to assure that the words I speak are clearly supported and demonstrated by the actions I take in response to those words!  I want to set a good example to those around me and also let the Lord know that I am serious about my relationship with Him!

How About You?

It looks like we might get a little reprieve from the early morning storms for the next few days!  I have a roofer coming out to check out a few water dribbles I spotted coming through a ceiling AC vent… (situated right over the bathroom sink… thank God!)  The nice thing is that the summer storms brought quite a relief to the triple digit temperatures we were having! PTL!

Have a great rest of your week, and as you do… EXPECT GOD’s BEST and think about the PHONY-BALONEY’s in your life… while seeking to get your walk in tune to your talk!