"Strong Belief"

I had a friend at work ask me some questions the other day. He stared with acknowledging that he knew I had "strong beliefs." This phrase got me thinking...

What is a "strong" belief? Is there such a thing?

I took what he said to indicate that, really, I had things I believed (in my head) that I also put action to (outwardly) in my life. And I started wondering about whether or not I can claim to really "believe" something if I'm not living it out in my life.

So, let me make this a little more concrete. Here's an example:

I believe the Bible to be absolute truth, accurately reflecting things God wishes to communicate to His people (including me!).

I believe that the Bible indicates clearly that I am to tithe the first 10% of my income.

I believe this is one of God's directions to me.

I believe that being obedient to God's will - without exception - is in my own best interest.

So, could I claim to believe these things and then fail to faithfully tithe my first 10%?

Only if I want what is not best for me. Right?

In my opinion, if I were to not tithe, I would, essentially, be saying that I don't believe one of the things above. My guess is that, in a moment of short-term vision, I might think that hanging onto the money I earned is in my "best interest" at any given point in time. That would be understandable to me. However, how can I claim that and also claim to believe that obedience to God is in my best interest?

I hope I haven't completely confused everyone reading. My point is this. I think it's fair to say that I either believe or do not believe that something is right or true. If I believe it, my actions would reflect that. If I do not, I think there must be somewhere inside me that I do not believe. I think it's fair to say that believing is sort of an all-or-nothing deal. Fair? I can't "sort of" believe that the sky is blue. I either do or do not believe it. I can doubt my own believe, but I still have to land on one side of the fence.

My point, in terms of "Why do I care?" is this: if I believe God's commands are for my best good, then I should follow them. All of them. Not just the ones that suit me for a given day or moment. Now, just to be completely clear, I fall short of this ideal all the time... but when I do, I repent - by changing my mind (coming into belief on that subject) AND changing my actions. And I pray consistently for God to expose to me new areas in which I need this kind of change.

So, I would put to each of us...if there is an area of repetitive transgression in your life (in my life), what is it that I do not believe? And when I identify that, am I okay claiming to NOT believe it? If not, something has to change. The two things can't coexist without denial.

Sometimes, for me, this kind of topic gets a little too heady, but often times, the other thing that can happen is that it takes all the nuance and guess-work out of things that really, in truth, are quite simple. Much of the world is not "black and white," but much of it is. I think danger lies in mis-identification on that front. So, call a spade a spade... where, I ask myself, does that leave me?