How we live our lives tells people what we believe far more convincingly than when we just talk about it. Our words gain authority when we are living what we say. And even when we don’t say anything, people learn what we believe by observing our actions.
The most powerful witness for the Kingdom of God is to live a life of love. Jesus bore witness unto the truth that God loves us, by living a life of love. He had compassion on people. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He spoke words of comfort and assurance and sound wisdom. His final, all-powerful, earth-shaking word was to say, “I love you,” by the fullness of His action when He laid down His life for us, dying on the cross for our sins, taking on the penalty for our iniquities. He was buried, and rose again the third day, defeating death for us, that through faith in Him, we are given eternal life. He showed us how much He loved us by His life and by His death and by His living again forever, that we might live forever with Him.
When we live out the truth of the gospel, we preach the gospel by living it. Our lives are a book for people to read the truth in.
Jesus said the most important of all the commandments is to love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, and mind; and the second commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said that these two commandments sum up all the law and the prophets. If we live a life of loving God and loving our neighbor, our lives will preach the gospel of love, the good news that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God speaks the truth by His actions, too.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. John 3:16-21, NKJV
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10, KJV
Prove to people what is acceptable to the Lord by doing it.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2 KJV
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life… Philippians 2:14-16a KJV
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. Deuteronomy 4:5-6 KJV
All those statutes and judgments are summed up in, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Keep and do this, for it will show the truth to the nations.
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience… I Peter 3:15, 16a NIV
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