Gratefully Changed

Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done. Matthew 8:3-4 MSG

There is a quote from St. Francis that reads, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” Many times we hear people, and ourselves, say what we believe but then live in a completely different way. Jesus knew that when we live what we say we believe, it has a far greater and undisputable impact on others.

Today’s passage is part of a story of the healing of a leper. The man was considered untouchable and yet Jesus, willingly reached out, touched the man and healed him. Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”

Try to picture in your mind this man’s family and friend’s response when they saw him, healed and free from that dreaded disease. In awe they must have watched every move he made to see if this miracle was real. Much like when our lives have been changed by Christ and people watch our every move to see if we truly are changed.

People will debate doctrine and measure every word we say, but the new life we live as a believer in a relationship with Christ will be undisputable. They saw our lives before Christ and they see our lives after receiving Christ. There should be a noteable difference.

A selfish heart has been replaced with a heart of gratitude for the grace we’ve been shown and enables us to show the same grace to others. Conditional love and acceptance has been replaced by the overwhelming unconditional love we’ve receive and overflows to those we once thought unloveable or unacceptable. The striving and working for approval has ended and been replaced with confidence in the hope we have in Christ, that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that He alone made eternity possible. We no longer are trying to work our way to heaven, but rather we are choosing to live our lives for Chirst here and now knowing that eternity with Him is certain.

There is a quote in the Chosen series that says,” I was one way, and now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him.” Do you feel that way about your relationship with Christ? Has your life noticably changed through your relationship with Christ?

What a privilege we have to bear witness to all that Christ has done! Lord help us to live changed lives for You that will draw others in to know You.