• What Does Our Billboard Really Say?

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    Recently I was reading in the book of Luke and a verse stopped me in my tracks. The verse? Luke 7:35 where Jesus said:

    "But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it." Luke 7:35

    Let me repeat that. "But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it."

    Is Our Witness Consistent?


    It got me thinking what is the billboard on the outside of my life showing to the people around me? What are our lives as believers showing to the outside world? Is our witness backing up the wisdom and truth of the Gospel? When people look at us, do they feel love or harsh judgement? Do they see actions consistent with our faith? Do they notice a difference between us and everyone else out there? Do they see Jesus?

    We can’t expect to have a good witness if our lives don’t match our faith. The world then only sees yet another hypocrite.

    On the other hand, if we live out the radical love of Jesus, the world will take notice. As Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:16,

    "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

    We can see here there is a connection between our actions and God being recognized glorified.  Elsewhere in the scripture we are instructed to:

    "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." Philippians 2:14-15

    The Question We Need To Ask Ourselves


    So the question we need to ask ourselves is what do you and I want our witness to be? We do have a choice. We can portray to the world that we are just another hypocrite or holy roller who talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. Or we could be someone whose very essence and actions reflect Jesus and draws others to recognize Him.

    Truly our witness is created every day by the words we say and the actions we take. It brings to mind a quote from Francis Chan that comes from his book Crazy Love. Francis said:

    "We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God. You've probably heard the expression 'I believe in God, just not organized religion'. I don't think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live."

    Our Aim On A Daily Basis


    Let that be our aim on a daily basis. To live our lives in such a way that we draw people towards Jesus and the church, not away. To live lives consistent with our faith and lives that speak as a witness for Jesus long before any words actually leave our mouths. Let us live our lives in such a way that the billboard we display on a daily basis to the world around us is one that catches others attention for all the right reasons. Let us be bright lights reflecting the light of Christ anywhere we go.

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