Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…

Philippians 1:27

Who has made the most impact on your life as a follower of Christ?

Later today we will have the memorial service for our Mom. So as I write this today I am thinking about my parents and the lives they led before us. By “us” I write as the oldest son of three children who had a front-row seat to see if the preacher and his wife really lived what they preached.

There isn’t space here to give a lot of detail, but I can write that the preacher did what preachers do on Sundays and Wednesdays and then as a business owner he lived his life with his employees and customers. The piano player used the gift of music to play the hymns and choruses we sang and she was involved with the lives of the people in the church. But most importantly, they lived authentic lives at home (not perfect-but God-honoring), and so we have great confidence in this: Our parents loved God and they loved people by investing in their lives in so many ways and in so many lives.

I realize that not everyone who is reading this had such examples to follow, but we are called to be such examples of authenticity today.

At times we sit in the front row. At other times someone else is looking at us from the same perspective. Is our manner of life worthy of the Gospel?