Study: Where do I consistently observe the Lord in my life? How do I show others that I follow Jesus Christ?
Pray: Does something need to change in my life today? Call upon the Lord for grace and strength.
Serve: Is someone in your life struggling, searching for faith or challenged to live it? How can you help?
How do people know that we are Christians? What “proof” do we offer that clearly reveals the Lord we follow?
Three key areas come to mind:
- What we are thinking
- What we are speaking
- What we are doing
The pattern of our faith is observed within these arenas of daily life. Everything begins with thought: what comes from within us and moves outward is revealed by what we say and do. Our speech signals our behavior: what we say; how we say it; to whom we speak; and the context in which it is said. Our actions close the deal: our behavior ultimately rests in the consistent pattern of the real results we accomplish.
Knowing this, we can then ask: does the Lord reside in these areas? Is he present in my thoughts, words, and actions? I find it helpful to evaluate this question with a daily examination – reviewing the day with a mental “written transcript” where I walk through what I thought, said, and did – looking for Christ’s presence in my life.
Everyday, in 1001 great and small ways, we have the chance to show those around us that Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives. We are uniquely placed in the world to touch the hearts of those in our midst; they will see in us a pattern that will either proclaim the Good News…or else we testify to something else.
“You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:48
Pastoral Note: This weekend is First Communion for many kids at the Cathedral. Please keep them and their families in your prayers!
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St. Paul Preaching in Athens, Raphael; 1515, 768 x 581 pixels, Royal Collection of the United Kingdom.
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