Posted on July 8, 2009 - by Andy McMahon

Knowing vs. Doing

This is the comment I read on Twitter that inspired me to write today.  I don’t think about it but, *maybe* once a day.  And then, I just think about it.  It makes me sad, sure, but I’m not overcome with deep sadness. I don’t act on it often.

It got me to thinking.  Knowing and practicing are two different things.  Knowing and doing something is different.  Shane Claiborne said it best when he said, “For even if the whole world believed in resurrection, little would change until we began to practice it. We can believe in CPR, but people will remain dead until someone breathes new life into them. And we can tell the world that there is life after death, but the world really seems to be wondering if there is life before death.”

it’s the same thing.  The whole world can know about world hunger, (And probably kinda d0) but little will change until people start to act on it, until people start to do something.  I guess that sums up why I felt called to join “One Year Without”.

Now, I don’t know what you believe if you read this blog.  But I do know that we have a very real problem in this world.  A problem that is over-shadowing (and enabling) world hunger.  That is greed.  I struggled with giving up energy drinks for two reasons. One reason was because I love them, like a fat kid loves cake.  The second reason is because I thought, “I earn this money, why should I give up what I like. What I do isn’t going to change the situation of the World.”

Honesty makes me sound like a real jerk.

That’s what went through my brain.  Then I remember, Jesus Christ calls me to a whole new standard of living.  He calls me to be extraordinary.  He calls me to be “Not of this World.”  He calls me to die to myself daily.  This OYWO is a challenge to both.  To help combat world hunger and for me to remember HOW to die to myself daily.  How to let the Spirit win over flesh in me.

It’s not easy, but I tried to google it, and “This will be simple.” is no where in the Bible.