When the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians, he was personally unknown to the churches of Judea, yet they heard the following report about him:
“’The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me” (Galatians 1:23-24). The power of a changed life is the greatest testimony one can have as a Christian. And what more radical life change could one undergo than the persecutor becoming the persecuted?
As Christians, our regenerated lives shine brightly in this dark world as evidence to the fact that Jesus is alive and He is changing the lives of those who follow Him. We testify by our words and actions, most significantly through the fruit that God produces in our lives, marked especially by our love for Him and for other people.
When Jesus was asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-38). As I’ve heard it said better than I can say it: a Christian who wants to live his life as a testimony for Jesus will love God above all else and love others above himself.
Troy Burns