It is very common today to be able to measure everything. Just my watch can pinpoint where I am globally while also calculating my steps and current progress. Pictures I take on my phone are time-stamped and also reveal the exact location. If you have devices like these, you also recognize that everywhere you go is being tracked and distances are constantly updated and measured. I admit I love knowing these details especially the distance I travel each day. Often people talk about faith as a journey, but many throughout history have said the longest journey one can trek is from the head to the heart. While physically that distance is roughly 12-14 inches, moving from the head to the heart means transforming intellectual knowledge into a lived experience with heart-changed actions.
In the Bible, Jesus spoke these words to the ultra-religious people of the day when he said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40). They were looking for salvation in the physical rescue found in religion, not in an active relationship with God where one lives out a God changed heart. Two thousand years later, the same thing could be said to people steeped and stuck in religion or belief instead of living out one’s faith in action following Jesus. Head knowledge focuses on knowing facts, doctrines and stories, but heart knowledge internalizes that truth, experiencing it and allowing it to change one’s inner self and outward actions.
James emphasized this idea when he challenged followers of Jesus: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). It is an imperative to move beyond hearing the things of God to actively practicing God’s teachings. The world needs to be impacted by these types of followers of Jesus — believers who will align with God’s will and do it, rather than just knowing things about God.
How does one take this journey and live into this truth? It begins by responding to the love of God and entering a relationship with him through Jesus. As one receives God’s forgiveness, we can extend it to others and apply God’s Word to our lives in action and service. It is a lifelong journey of daily yielding, putting on the life of Christ.
So, the question is not whether we know about Jesus — the question is whether we are actually following him. Faith is not measured by what you read, hear or agree with, but by what you obey, practice or change. Ask yourself: What did I do today because I belong to Jesus? Who did I love differently? What habit did I surrender? What step of obedience did I take even when it was uncomfortable? The longest distance can be crossed by daily surrender, doing small acts of obedience, and willingness to let Jesus not just inform us, but transform us. Don’t just admire the truth. Walk in it.
Frank Alioto is the pastor of Roots Family Church and serves as a chaplain in our community.
