Should We Show … or Tell?

The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship.  Day and night they keep on telling about God.  Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to the entire world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it ^and moves out across the skies as radiant as a bridegroom going to his wedding, or as joyous as an athlete looking forward to a race! Psalm 19: 1-5

The heavens tell a story, not with words, but through their display. Anyone looking skyward can see their radiance, their joy, and their silent message—the Creator has done this! There is a time for telling others about God and all He has done, but should we use only words to share the Gospel?

The bridegroom doesn’t show his love for his bride by talking about it throughout the wedding ceremony. His countenance tells the story. His actions towards his bride show his love for her to all the guests, and they  leave the wedding celebration assured of his love for her. In the same way, the strong and sure athlete doesn’t talk about his ability or argue with his spectators about how to get off of the sidelines and into the race. Instead, he inspires by his actions.

Like the star-gazer, the spectator, and the wedding guest, the people around us watch what we do and how we live much more closely than they listen to what we say.  When behaviors do not line up with our words, people will lose respect for us and likely dismiss all the things we try to say to them. There is never a time in life when it is more important for  our actions and character as Christians to imitate our  words than when we share our faith. Our lives should stand out from those around us: in our attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. Perfection is not our goal, but authenticity should be…

What will your actions say to others about God? Will they be moved towards Christ because of you?

TLB, biblegateway.com