ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 FALAITE SUNE 26, 2026

SAAME 96-102; SEMISI 1:19-27

Sadly, for many of us, a dangerous gap lies between what we say we believe and how we live.

Ko hotau tokolahi, ‘oku va mama’o lahi ‘a e faikehekehe ‘o e me’a ‘oku tau tala ‘oku tau tui ki ai pea mo e anga ‘o ‘etau mo’ui ‘aki ‘a e ngaahi me’a ko iaa.

When I regularly counseled people, I found that the most difficult clients were those who had a high level of theological knowledge. It was hard to talk to them about biblical commands and principles because, in their theological prowess, they would quickly tell me that they already knew what I was telling them. But what they failed to understand was that I wasn't giving them an abstract, impersonal theological lecture. No, I was attempting to help them understand the real-life implications of the theology that they so confidently said they understood and believed. Theology is not just a pursuit of the mind; it is something that you do with your whole life. The theology that you actually believe is always exhibited by the way you live. For too many of us, a disconcerting gap lies between what we say we believe and the way we live.

You may say you believe in grace, but the way you treat your family lacks grace.

You may say you believe in God's call to love, but you respond impatiently and unlovingly to those around you.

You may say you believe in the sovereignty of God, but you give way to anxiety and fear.

You may say you believe in the theology of God's forgiveness, but you are self-righteous and unforgiving.

You may talk about God's generosity, but you invest your resources selfishly.

You may preach the doctrine of God's holiness, but in your private world you give in to temptation and sin.

In this struggle between formal confession and our daily living, we turn to Psalm 101:

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;

to you, O LORD, I will make music.

I will ponder the way that is blameless.

Oh when will you come to me?

I will walk with integrity of heart

within my house;

I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will know nothing of evil. (Ps. 101:1-4)

These verses offer a prayer of commitment and a cry for help. The commitment is to a life of integrity. Integrity exists when there is no gap between what you say you believe and your actions, reactions, and responses. But this is what we must understand. If integrity were natural for us, we wouldn't need Jesus. So, embedded in these verses is a cry for the promised Messiah. Only through his person and work can we close the gap between what we say we believe and our daily actions, reactions, and responses.

The perfect integrity that we long for-when there is no gap-will be ours only when we're on the other side. Until then, our Savior meets us with his patience, his kindness, and his inexhaustible grace.

Make the commitment to integrity today, and cry out for the grace that is yours in Jesus. You will be glad that you did.