Explain Your Life

Likely you've heard the following words:

"If you were to be put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

That's a serious question. It's challenging, no matter how many times you've heard it before. Yet today I came across a quote that took it one step farther.

This morning I picked up Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle, a book that is oh-so-brief yet packs a wallop. Among the dozens of convicting, thought-provoking words are those he saw on a missionary's grave in Cairo, Egypt.

I dusted off the epitaph on Bordon's grave. After describing his love and sacrifices for the kingdom of God and for Muslim people, the inscription ended with a phrase I've never forgotten: "Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life."

I don't only want to be an upstanding citizen who also is known to talk about Jesus. Simply being an upstanding, kind, charitable person can be explained apart from faith in Christ, because there are people who appear to be upstanding, kind, and charitable, yet want nothing to do with Christ.

We want people to have no doubt that we have faith in Christ. But even more, we want people to see that the way we live is because we have faith in Christ.

What does it mean for me to live a life that cannot be explained apart from faith in Christ?