August 18, 2007

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven " Matt. 5: 10

What testimony did you share with your co-workers yesterday? Oh........... you say you didn't share your testimony yesterday? Well, yes, I'm afraid you did. You may not have realized it, but you most definitely did.

Ponder this thought for a moment: If your co-workers or neighbors were asked if you were a Christian, what do you think their response would be? What would their answers be based on?

You see, we are sharing our testimony every day. We are either giving testimony for the Lord or for the enemy....Satan. But one way or the other, we are giving a testimony. Our lives are daily reflecting WHO is in control...GOD or SATAN!

I heard a story recently of a pastor who boarded a bus. When he purchased his tokens, he was give a dime too much. He didn't realize it til he sat down. As he traveled to his destination, he considered returning the coin to the driver. Then thought to himself, "It's just a dime...I'm sure he didn't even notice. A dime is nothing to make a big deal out of." As he went to disembark, however, he decided to return it to the driver. The driver replied, "I gave that to you on purpose to see what you would do. I understand you are the pastor of the church down the street and I just wanted to see what kind of pastor you really were. What time does your service begin Sunday? I need a church home."

Yes, someone is always watching us....our co-workers, our neighbors, even people in the grocery store. Your family members are watching you. And everywhere we go, we are sharing our testimony by the way we live and by the way we treat others and by the words that come out of our mouths. There is an old saying that goes "What you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you are saying". There is a lot of truth to that. We can quote scripture and talk about church all day long; but if our words and our actions speak contrary to that, we are "a clanging gong or a tinkling cymbal" (I Cor. 13:1)

Your testimony as a believer actually comes in two forms....spoken and unspoken. Most of us prefer to dwell on the unspoken part, rather than the spoken. Yet God really requires both of us. We are to live our lives so that people can SEE a difference in us. We are to be "ambassadors FOR Christ", not against Him! We are to be a LIGHT in a dark place. We are to be the FRAGRANCE of Christ to those we come in contact with, not such a stinker that people avoid us. People ought to be drawn to us like a moth to a flame because of our love for Jesus. Sadly, that is not always the case.

The spoken part of our testimony is important as well. It is our way of sharing verbally with others what Jesus has done and is doing in our lives. I will share more about that tomorrow.

But today, I challenge you to really take a hard look at your "unspoken" testimony. Think about yesterday. Think about how you talked to people at work, how you treated the ornery co-worker or the nosey neighbor. Think about how you treated your spouse or your mother-in-law. What about the lost people in your family? Do you reflect Christ to them? Do they hear Him in your words? Do they see Him reflected in your attitude? How did your children see you act yesterday? What words did they hear come out of your mouth? What TV shows did they see you watch? Children are wet cement. And they are watching you 24/7!! You are sharing your testimony with them every day.

Yes, SOMEONE is watching you today. DO THEY SEE CHRIST IN YOU?!!!