Let's GoSample

Live the Life

By S. George Thomas

Francis of Assisi once invited a young monk to join him on a trip into town to preach. Humbled and honored, the young monk quickly accepted, and the pair set out for the city early the next morning. Upon arriving, they began walking up and down the streets, visiting hundreds of people—street merchants, beggars, children … basically everyone they came in contact with. At the end of the day, as Francis and the monk were headed home, the young man turned to him and said: “Excuse me, sir, but I think you forgot why we went to town. Didn’t we go to preach?” Francis responded, “My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many, and our behavior was closely watched. Our attitudes were carefully measured, and our words have been overheard. That is how we preached our sermon today. There’s no use in walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is preaching.”

God doesn’t merely call us to the act of witnessing; He calls us to be His witnesses. As followers of Christ, that is who we are. It is our nature—our character—as people who have been saved and made holy by God. People are watching the way we act far more than they are listening to what we say. When our lives match our words—when they are one and the same—our impact can be massive. People know we are Christians; not because that’s what we call ourselves; it’s because we live the life. Max Lucado says, “To call yourself a child of God is one thing. To be called a child of God by those who watch your life is another thing altogether.”

Francis of Assisi beautifully lived out both sides of this. While he was a great evangelist and preacher who boldly proclaimed the truth of the gospel, his actions and life itself served as a testimony to the love and grace of God. He is famously known for always saying: “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” But Francis was merely echoing words that another man, led by the Holy Spirit, had written over one thousand years before.

It had been nearly 60 years since John had stood on the Mount of Olives and heard Jesus’ final commission right before He ascended into heaven to “be His witnesses … to go into all the world and make disciples” but he remembers it like it was yesterday. In the years following that moment, he witnessed and experienced several incredible moments as the church rapidly grew and multiplied: the Holy Spirit came down to the Upper Room and baptized with fire on the Day of Pentecost when over 3,000 people were saved; he and Peter were released from prison by an angel; Saul—the church’s most active persecutor—was converted, and countless people were healed. Although faced with tremendous opposition, the church was flourishing and continuing to spread the message of Christ.

However, he had also witnessed the many problems that came along with such rapid growth: church members were bickering with each other over petty issues; people were twisting the words of Jesus and teaching heresy; believers were gravitating towards one of two extremes—either totally withdrawing from the world and everyone in it or else being completely caught up in its allure. Then there were those who always talked about loving each other but never really practiced it.

As the last surviving member of the original 12 disciples, John knows he has a responsibility to address these issues. So, with the urgency of a man who knows he doesn’t have much time left on this earth, he sits down with a scroll to compose his final words. Although his body is weak, John’s heart burns with a blazing fervor as he writes: “Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived … Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth … Live a life of love.”

Can you feel John’s passion and conviction behind those words?

What he’s saying here is: “Talk is cheap. Don’t just say you love others; go out and actually show you love others.”

After physically walking, talking and living with Jesus—God in the flesh—every day for three years, John knows Him better than just about anyone. He remembers the day when he heard Jesus say, “Love God and love your neighbor.” He can never forget watching Jesus surrender His life to die the most agonizing death imaginable because of His love. And John knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, there is absolutely no way possible to separate a life of faith from a life of love … active love. Why? Because God is love!

It all comes down to love. The Christian life isn’t one of isolation and insulation from people … it’s about going out into the muck and mire of the world to spread the greatest news ever to those without hope … to shine the light of Christ in the darkest of places … to rescue those enslaved by sin … to love the unlovely, the abandoned, the neglected, the forgotten, the downtrodden and oppressed.

As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times.” Proclaim the good news through your words, but more importantly, through your actions. “Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us” (Ephesians 5:2).

Let’s live. Let’s love. Let’s go.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace! Where there is hatred let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy.

~ Francis of Assisi

Memory Verse

This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God's love is not living in that person. My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring. 1 John 3:16–18