Think of a couple of jobs you used to have.
Now ask yourself if the people with whom you worked would collectively describe you as an obviously godly person.
What about your neighbors? Do they view you as a God-serving Christian, even if they have not accepted your invitation to visit your church?
You have asked them, haven’t you?
And then there are the relatives. On your worst days, have they seen you press in tightly to the duty of demonstrating Christlike kindness and humility and verbal compassion?
Yes, it’s vital to be in worship each week and in the Word each day and in prayer throughout the day. But if our daily or weekly legacy in the eyes of others doesn’t demonstrate faith in God, then we are sadly failing the Lord, those whom we love, our congregations, those acquaintences who observe our lives AND we’re failing ourselves.
We were created by God and re-created in salvation — again by God — for the purpose of bearing spiritual fruit.
Here’s a simple reminder of this fact that doubles as a one-verse instruction manual for godly living. It’s the last verse of Psalm 23:
“Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (verse 6)
When you and I commit ourselves to a life of serving others’ interests ahead of our own, God will pour His goodness and His love through us into the lives of others. That’s what people will appreciate about us and that’s what they will remember about us.
That goodness and love will be in our shadow of faith because wherever we go, there will be a trail of godly influence behind us.
By the way, to have a shadow behind us, we must keep the Light in front of us.
So there you have it… Christ before us and Christian compassion, morality and influence behind us.
What a blessed place to be until we’re called to the land without shadows known as heaven.
As always, I love you
Martin
