One of my favorite sayings as a coach was “Don’t tell me. Show me.” Today, however, some athletes have a hard time backing up what they say. They talk a good game, but they can’t always live it out.

In the same way, the apostle Paul knew how easy it was for people to talk about Christ without having their lives match their words. That’s why he encouraged true believers to stand strong; he did not want them to end up with empty lifestyles, like those he called, “detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.” Like James, who encouraged Christians to “be doers of the word and not hearers only” (see James 1:22), Paul knew the importance of walking the talk. Christ had called him—like He calls each of us—to follow Him and love Him with his life and his words. God’s standard is clear for us as well: He does not want us to be examples of cheap talk. Rather, He desires that our lives and our words reflect the Living Word, the One who gave up all so that we might be rich in good deeds!

We all want to believe that our players will do what they say they will. But we also know that isn’t always the case. If we can inspire them to talk less and do more, we will be leading them into success and integrity. Jesus wants the same for His believers. He wants us to talk less about all the great things we intend to do for Him and start doing them. He wants us to imitate the same lifestyle of action that He exemplified, not one of mere talk.