Preach the Gospel Always, if Necessary, Use Words
This famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi “Preach the gospel always, if necessary, use words” gives us a push to LIVE our faith. Words are important but we need to walk the talk, too.
“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”(Luke 8:16-18, MSG)
Today I want to celebrate all the people who are boldly proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ by living the gospel. People who are not necessarily using many words but are wonderful lighthouses to their neighbors. I am sharing few stories and I welcome you to share some stories of the remarkable witnesses in your own life!
The first one of mine is a farmer. He never works on Sundays. Even during the harvest! And never has the harvest been left on the fields because of this. And the farm has been in their family for centuries. During the harvest they work right until midnight on Saturday. And they pick it up again at 12.01 am on Monday morning. But on Sundays they do not work. They celebrate Sabbath. They rest. They honor God. They obey God’s word. What a powerful witness to the community! Praise the Lord!
How about a Christian couple living in a not so Christian neighborhood. Every Sunday morning ten to ten they leave their home to go to worship. You could check your clock by their faithfulness. They radiate God’s love throughout the week but the most powerful witness is their faithful attendance to church. No words necessary. The message gets through loud and clear without any words. Praise the Lord!
And then my very own father who wasn’t a man with multitude of words but he prayed out loud the Lords’ Prayer and the Benediction prayer (Numbers 6:24-26) every single night of his life wherever he was. And we were blessed to pray these prayers right before he took his last breath before he met his Maker. His powerful example as a man of faith has blessed me to seek God with all I have. Praise the Lord!
“No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.” (Luke 11: 33-36, MSG)
We all have these strong witnesses around us. I thank God for them. How are you preaching gospel without words? Is you message clear or muddy? It does matter how we live our lives. We really are called to live the gospel. It does matter what we say and we are called to share the good news. But we are also called to live it. It really is powerful to see people to practice what they believe. We need to keep our messages in sync. We need to walk the talk, we need to live out our faith. By the grace of God it is possible! Praise the Lord!
Gracious God,
Thank you for all the saints gone before us.
Thank you for their faithful witness of You.
Enable us to walk the talk.
Empower us to shine your light into darkness.
Equip us to always preach the gospel and if necessary use the words.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Share some of the faithful witnesses in your own life! Who has made a profound impact in your life?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live out your faith with everything you got!
Photo courtesy of Sandy Lee