Day 2897 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Philippians 1:29 NIV

Our lives are our testimony, and sadly, I think we tend to underestimate the power in that fact. I think we overlook and undervalue the opportunities we're given to not only speak about Jesus and the Gospel and this faith that we have, but to put those words into action. To back up the words we say and the messages we share does far more than those words could ever accomplish on their own.

Because, as I'm sure we've all heard a least a few thousand times, actions speak louder than words.

And when it comes to our faith and the sharing of the Gospel that we're called to undertake as part of our service and offering to God in return for all He's done for us, that truth is infinitely more resounding. People need more than just some somewhat passionate words that seem to sound right. They need more than quotes from pastors or a handful of verses that we've chosen to memorize.

They need to see that we actually mean every word we say in regard to our faith. Like it or not, people in this place are still looking for a sign before they'll believe. Should it be that way? No. Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of belief and faith? Yes it does. But still, we have been called by Christ to go into all the world and share His Gospel with as many as we can.

And in this place, sometimes words simply aren't enough. Because it's one thing for us to stand up and give these fiery sermons that carry so much weight that we ourselves are left astounded at the work God has done through us. But to live out our faith in our every action, our every interaction, our every conversation likely does far more than a single presentation that only lasts an hour.

We each have the opportunity to preach. But it doesn't have to be from a pulpit. Doesn't have to be on a stage. There doesn't have to be microphones and PowerPoint slides and witty jokes to help the Scriptures hit home. It can be in our living rooms. It can be in our workplaces. It can be as we sit in the drive-thru eagerly awaiting our fourth cup of coffee. It can, and should, be everywhere we go and in everything we say.

Because like it or not, when we proclaim the title of Christian, the world begins watching. Not just listening, but watching. They tune in to see if we mean what we say, because again, actions simply speak louder. Everyone in this place is looking for hope, for peace, for something or someone they can trust in to see them through the hardships and hassles that life holds. We know where that kind of firm foundation is found. But, is it found in the way we react to the hardships and hassles we face in our own lives?

One of the most powerful and poignant presentations we can possibly present is found in how we respond to life's trials and tribulations. That's something we've been talking about for a few days now; the fact that each of us will in fact face challenges in this life. Our faith doesn't make us immune to hardship in any way whatsoever. In fact, our proclamation of our faith in Jesus only opens us up for more struggle and strife as the waves of persecution from the happily lost begin rolling in with greater frequency.

And it's in those moments of pain, misery, confusion, danger, illness and aggravation that our faith is on trial as much if not more so than in the times of calmness and control. Because we speak about this hope and provision and strength and victory that we say we trust in to always provide. We speak about the joy found in Christ. We speak of the hope in His promise. We say that we are no longer of this world and that we therefore no longer choose to behave like this world.

Is that what our actions prove? Is that what the world sees when they look at how we're living our lives and how we respond to the times when things get a little sideways? Do our actions give our words their meaning, or is there is stark disconnect between them?

We have to understand the fullness of the calling which we've been given. It's not just to tell people about how amazing our faith is. It's not only about talking up Christ's numerous benefits. It's not only a bunch of flowery language shared in moments free from despair and despondency. It's putting our money where our mouths are and proving those words when life isn't so wonderful or easy.

Because, as we can all attest, life for nobody is ever always wonderful or easy.

As this verse reminds us, we are here to not only believe in Him but to also suffer for Him. Now, that may sound unloving and unkind in light of all this overhyped and overdone nonsense that speaks only to the love and grace of God. But we must understand that He is the same God who used Christ's horrifying sacrifice to spark the change that we have felt in our own lives. He doesn't just use sunny days to evidence His light.

He sometimes gives us the darkness of life's pain and suffering as a platform from which we can reflect that light in the most unusual and unexpected of ways.

Our ability to sail through life upon the calm waters of comfort and simplicity is not going to make any kind of waves or any differences. Everyone can manage to be happy, joyous, positive, upbeat when life is easy. Do the same when life is hard and people will notice. When we can remain happy and joyous and positive and upbeat while the rains of life are pouring upon our heads, then we show that our joy and peace and strength is not tied to the circumstances we face, but to the One who authors those circumstances and guides us into those storms and sends that rain gushing down upon us.

Smiling through pain, laughing at hardship, and refusing our situations the satisfaction of undercutting our faith shows that our joy and peace and hope and courage are not tied to the circumstances we face. And when we can show that they’re not tied to the circumstances we face, well then we have plenty of opportunity to help explain where and from whom it comes.

It comes from Christ.

Our lives are in fact our testimony because they're not filled with only comfort and ease. They are filled with trial and challenge and difficulty that demand our true faith and trust in Him alone. And it's in those numerous fires and storms that we find the stories we're able to share about how our faith got us through what we couldn't manage on our own.

That's the power of the Gospel we get to share. It's not just about healing, but from what we've been healed. In order to be reborn, we must die. In order to be forgiven, we must have made mistakes that needed that mercy. In order to be free, prison must have been our home at some point. In order to speak to the brilliance of His light, well, the darkness of life presents us a stage unlike any other.

To suffer for Christ runs violently against this nonsense we so often hear about wealth and prosperity and a faith that gives us all we want and nothing we don't. But in reality, our suffering for Him allows us to become part of the story we get to share. We're not the ones who never got lost and therefore didn't need to be found. We're not those who have never messed up and therefore didn't need forgiveness.

We are not those who have never faced a hard day or trying time. We are the ones who humbly embrace the challenges laid out before us as opportunities to grow our faith and as evidence of His unending provision and unrelenting strength.

Often we respond to life's many miseries as though they're unwelcome as we feel they're undeserved. But friends, in wishing away the suffering we're handed, we may very well be wishing away the evidence we could have of the true fullness of His faithfulness. It's nothing to breeze through an easy day. But when we experience the toughness of His refining fire, we will come out better and stronger, and most importantly, more well equipped to do what He's called us to do in sharing the Gospel.

The world doesn't need a people free from hardship to speak to them about how to handle hardship. People need the opportunity to listen to those who know what they're talking about because they have actually walked through it themselves. God doesn't send us out into the world as a bunch of surgeons who've only studied the lessons. He sends us out as those who themselves have been healed, freed, strengthened, and raised from the death that is sin so that we know those lessons because we've lived them.

That's the whole point of all this. It's not just about words, it's about life. It's living our faith. It's walking out this narrow road and excitedly embracing every step, even those most painful as they are the steps that help us taste and see what He endured so that we can taste and see that He is able.

Out lot as the faithful isn't a life free from misery or suffering. It's a life filled with the kind of hardship granted to us in order to help us learn, to grow, to actually have the chance to walk by faith and then in turn help others do the same with the experience afforded by the pain we ourselves have felt and been loving led through.

In short, He doesn't just give us words to share. He leads us through trials that we too can share. He gives us the experiences and insights into infirmities so that we can mean it when we say that He healed us, saved us, loves us. It's for His sake, for His purpose, for the spreading of His word and continuation of His movement that we are faced with suffering. Because like it or not, suffering and pain and hardship are amazing teachers from which we glean lessons not possible in life's easy moments.

And as one of my professors always used to say, "If I can learn it then I can teach it." We learn faith through the misery that leaves us nothing but our faith upon which to lean. And once we've learned the fullness of our faith, then and only then can we truly undertake the calling to tell others about it. It's actions, not just words. It’s how we respond to trial, not just our ability to talk as though we’re overcomers. It’s a life given to the will of God through which He works as He sees fit for the purpose He planned long ago.

Please never forget that the world is watching, listening, learning. And though you may not realize it or believe it, our every action is a sermon that tells the world what we really believe.

So if we freak out, whine and complain, throw fits and feel sorry for ourselves, then what are we saying about this faith we've proclaimed? If that’s our reaction to suffering, then I’m afraid our testimony isn’t speaking to the joy or hope or power that we tend to talk about. If we harbor hatred for life’s hardships, then I’m afraid we’re only speaking that message that society shares saying that it is in fact seen as unfair. And if we say that our suffering us unfair, then we must believe that our God is unfair. And friends, if we’re to truly be His hands and feet, sending that message is simply not good enough.

In the end, He suffered for us to help us find healing through His wounds. So if it’s through our wounds that others find the truth about His healing, then we should count ourselves incredibly honored to be used in such a way as to lead others to Him by our humble willingness to endure as well.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold