“Preach the gospel at all times…”

“Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words”                                                                                   Francis of Assisi

“When all is said and done, more is said than done.”                                                                                   Benjamin Franklin

There is a saying that I like that is widely attributed to St. Francis of Assisi-“Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words”. Whether or not he said it quite like that, I do not know. I do like the simple truth of it. He was a man of simple faith and wisdom, so I don’t doubt that he said it, or something pretty close. The point is, as Benjamin Franklin said, “When all is said and done, more is said than done.”

How do we live out our faith so that others may be attracted to it? Trying to preach at people, to convince them of a doctrinal truth, rings hollow when our accompanying actions are not loving. Loving actions are seen as our real convictions. If we believe something, we will act upon it. So, if we believe that our Christian faith is about loving those who have not found acceptance in the world, we better be the ones to accept people and love them right where they are.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live out the beliefs that we have so people can see you better, Amen.