He has a big mouth...

As a child, I was drawn into charisma. I would watch the Trinity Broadcasting Network as a kid and be so engaged by the dynamic sermons these preachers had to give. As a child, it was also easy for me to trust people. I was so gullible, that if you had charm or charisma, I would automatically believe whatever you said.  Because my parents realized that I was so trusting, they made  an extra effort to tell me that charm and charisma is deceiving. They told me to stop listening to what people were saying and to start noticing what people were doing. Whenever people at church would boast in themselves or proclaim an elaborate testimony, my parents would often say that they have a "big mouth." My parents weren't impressed by the things they said they did, but instead were more impressed by the people who said little but did much.

As I read Ezekiel, this method of thought stuck with me. I was especially intrigued by Ezekiel 33:31 which states, "They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain." As I read this, I was reminded of a woman I used to volunteer with who would always complain about how much she did. She made a point to let everyone know that she was working so hard and that she was so tired because of how much she has put into the project. At the end of the day, after evaluating how much work she actually did, it turned out that she did little to nothing. She wanted people to believe that she was super efficient with her tongue to gain the recognition of being a hard worker, but her actual productivity resulted in little. In the same way, Ezekiel is working for people who have a "big mouth" wanting to flatter God with their voice, but their actions do not back that up. This flattery reminds me of Saul and how he tried to persuade Samuel of his good intentions, but still, his actions did not reveal correct obedience to God. I guess my Asian culture taught me right in that charisma shouldn't impress you, but it's their actions that should speak for themselves.