Psalm 71:15–16
There’s a side of Christian culture that promotes a quiet relationship with God. One where you might be a believer but you don’t want to “force” your beliefs on others. While it is important to approach people gently, in love and grace, it’s also important that you aren’t keeping Jesus to yourself, watching the world die, the ones closest to you in the name of “it’s their life”. Imagine if Jesus and the apostles never went around proclaiming the love of God.
Imagine if that friend never prompted you to seek Christ. Imagine if that pastor decided they were done with preaching on the day you were given a word that changed your life. Imagine if that Youtuber never made that video.
Christ lives in us. Because of Him “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), not meant to be hid away or dimmed but to shine ever so fiercely to allow Him to continually save this world. In our conduct, we ought to serve as love letters from God to everyone else. It is so beautiful when Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:3 “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts”. That is huge! And since Christ has so freely given Himself to us and for us, it would be a crime to withhold His saving grace, His powerful deeds and His transformational love.
Actions can sometimes communicate more than words, so check your conduct.
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How are you representing the love and life of Christ in your daily life? Let your actions be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and controlled. These are the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). These are not qualities you wake up and just harness one day but they are traits God constantly cultivates in you. These are traits that can only be refined through Christ, thus they require your obedience. They require you to truly prioritise your relationship with Jesus Christ to allow Him to transform you. You need to be feeding on His Word, heeding His voice and making Him the centre of every aspect, every moment of your life. It’s a transformation that challenges parts of you that need to die. To be patient you need to let go of unforgiveness and anger. To be joyful you need to stop being controlled by your emotions and your situations. You need to die (spiritually but maybe even physically) to live for Christ for your salvation yes, but also to be an example to others. To show the world that transformation is possible. To show the world what true love is and not the perverted version of it. To show them who true love is.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even into dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Actions might not always speak louder than words because Jesus is the Word. Our faith is built on the Word. But it is important that our words and actions are intertwined. Speaking of Christ and His deeds seems scary in a world that mocks Him and promotes actions and attitudes that go against Him. But that is all the more reason to proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ. Use your voice and mouth to sing praises to God and about Him. Tell testimonies about Him. Speak “to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:19). You have to realise just how powerful words are. Words stick, especially that which comes from the Spirit. That’s why proverbs tell us that there is death and life in the tongue because the words you speak can break or build. You don’t want to just utter words in vain. God doesn’t play with words and that is enough to see that what comes out of your mouth has an impact beyond what we can comprehend.
But having that knowledge is not intended to scare us. Rather, it is intended to open our eyes to the life we can be speaking into others. When Paul talks to the people of Ephesus about the armour of God, he mentions “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). It is the only piece of the armour of God that is a weapon because with the sword, you are meant to fight. Along with the shield of faith, it is also the only piece of the armour that you can use to defend and protect other people. The enemy lies to EVERYONE with his words. In the garden of Eden, he spoke to Eve. When he tempted Jesus, he spoke to Him. And just like Jesus, you need to fact check the enemy with Truth in your life and the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Finally, to keep your lamp burning bright to continuing growing in intimacy with the Lord and to shine into the lives of all those that see and hear you, go into moments of rest and recovery with God.
Through the gospels, Jesus would often withdraw after being amongst the crowds. In this time be in prayer, fast from the fast pace of this world (and food) and go spend time in the secret place. Never think “I’ve reached the finish line” for as long as you keep waking up. This means God still has something for you. So keep seeking God deeper and deeper, keep falling in love with Him, keep resting in His embrace and living this life with Him. That way the Lord can constantly use you anew to shine His glory into the world.
Proclaim His deeds. Talk about the beautiful character of Jesus Christ. Shout about His greatness. He is worthy of all the praise and worship. Do it boldly and bravely. Do it even when you might feel scared. But whatever you do, do not withhold the love of Christ.
