Talk is Cheap

Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

Proverbs 14:23 (NLT)

When I was younger, I had an entrepreneurial heart (I thought of starting new companies and services which would help people). I would sometimes sense a need and then begin planning how I might make that happen. For example, when a plane would crash, I would set about coming up with a system that would prevent it from happening. I “invented” a parachute system that would deploy from the top of the plane that could be activated when a plane lost control, or a wing, or some other important piece of machinery. Once activated, the chute would open, and the cabin, with all of the people inside, would float down to the earth rather than dive-bomb into it. Of course, I was only eleven and had no idea how to run a company, let alone start one up. So, the idea never came into existence. Oddly enough, a few years back (in 2018), following a plane crash, a group of engineers revealed a design for just a system, which they are currently testing on jetliners. They stand to make millions of dollars and save countless lives. All I can do is smile at what could’ve been.

Talk is cheap. Ideas that are never acted upon do nothing for anyone. Ideas that we passionately follow and commit our lives to, those are the ones that change the world. While I can blame my age for why I wasn’t able to get the job done, the reality is that I didn’t even try. I talked and talked about it, but I never made any phone calls or met with anyone that could help me bring the idea from paper to production.

The sad truth is that many of us practice our Christian faith this same way. We talk a lot about helping people find Jesus, winning souls for the Kingdom of God, and helping others develop a deeper relationship with God. But, far too often, it’s just talk. When the opportunity presents itself to share our faith, we don’t. When a person needs someone to help them better understand who God is, we refer them to someone else (if that). When we have the opportunity to serve God’s church, we make excuses about being too busy. Talk is cheap.

As Solomon puts it, “Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!” In other words, unless we actually do what our faith calls us to do, our faith amounts to nothing. (See also James 2:17) We must put our love for Jesus into action. Teach. Serve. Evangelize. Study. Give.