.....believe

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works Titus 1:16

A man was on trial for murder. The body was never found, so in a bold move during closing arguments, the defense lawyer tried a trick: “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “in one minute, the victim will walk through that door.” Everyone in the courtroom turned and stared at the door. One minute passed. Nothing happened.

The lawyer said, “You all looked. That shows you had doubt the man was dead. That’s reasonable doubt. You must find my client not guilty.” But when the jury returned, they declared the man guilty. The lawyer was shocked. “But you looked at the door! You must have had doubt!” The jury foreman replied, “Yes, we looked. But your client didn’t.”

Oops! The defendant gave himself away — not with his words, but with his actions (or, in this case, his inaction). It was evident from the way the defendant acted that he didn't really believe the victim was still alive and was about to walk through that door.

This story gives us an important question to consider: As people look at your life — your words, your priorities, your daily choices — is it evident to them that you believe in a living God? Oh, I know we've made the case for God’s existence, we've presented the arguments, quoted the verses and proclaimed the truth that "Our God, He is Alive!"

But in the end, people aren’t just listening to our message — they're watching our lives. And they want to know: Do we actually live like we believe what we say? Do we act like we believe that Jesus is risen? Do we serve like we believe God is working in this world? Do we love like we believe God is watching?

We need to make it clear — not just with our lips, but with our lives — that we believe. May the use of our time, our conversations, and our compassion say the same thing that our songs and sermons do: We serve a living God. And a living God deserves a living faith. The world is watching. And when they turn to look at the door — may they see us looking too. Because we believe someone really is coming through it.

Father, you are the living God; help us to live like we truly believe that. May our words be true, but even more, may our actions show evidence of our trust in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.