20. Talking the Talk
In Christianity as in so many other areas, the importance of "walking the walk" rather than just "talking the talk" is self-evident. But sometimes we need to remember the value of the talk, too. The book of Malachi contains a classic reminder of this: "Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name" (Malachi 3:16).
Here, both walking and talking are shown as important. First we see it was those who "feared the Lord" who were getting God's attention. Although it is possible to fear God and not obey him, that is obviously not the situation here. Proper fear of God, as the Bible clearly shows, does not involve cringing fear of punishment, but positive loving obedience – as was the case where the names of these people who honored God's name were being written in a "scroll of remembrance" (and see Malachi 3:17-18). But beyond the obedience that was clearly involved here, we see that what had caught God's attention was the fact that these people talked with each other. The context of this verse indicates that this was not just talk regarding some topic of physical interest, but talk regarding aspects of the walk with God in which these people were engaged.
In its broadest sense, the talking with fellow believers mentioned in Malachi means not only talk which relates to biblical issues and principles in the abstract, but also talk which is based on the love of our neighbor – taking an active interest in the members of our spiritual family, finding out about them, getting to know their needs and encouraging them. Now we should remember that in the Bible the word "encourage" can mean positive encouragement of those who are undergoing difficulties, encouraging others to continue to do the good they are doing, and helping others by guiding, admonishing, and even warning them if necessary (all these words occur as translations of the Hebrew or Greek words for "encourage" in different circumstances). But in any and all of its meanings, we can only encourage others if we know where they need encouragement – and that's where talking comes in.
It's a question we can ask ourselves every time we converse with a brother or sister in the faith: how much am I getting to better know this person and their individual needs, the things they are working on, struggling with, or just hoping to achieve? We can follow that question up with another: how can I encourage this person in their struggles and aspirations? It may feel somewhat artificial at first as we begin to try to include these things and to make each conversation profitable for others, but it becomes second nature if we persist; and we can find ourselves talking at a whole different level.
That's the kind of talk which shows both love of God and of our neighbor, and if it is regularly a part of our conversation with those with whom we interact and fellowship, we can be confident that we are not just talking, but that we are "talking the talk."