Day 1

Signs of Life

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This book is a mirror by which you can see yourself as others see you.

Bobbing on the sea like a pelican, the Cruise Queen was a floating mansion, as long as a gymnasium and dazzling white against the blue waters of the Aegean. But something was wrong: the yacht seemed strangely deserted. As silently as death, the detective boarded the ship, pistol in hand, looking for signs of life....

How often have you watched a scene like that in a movie or on television?

One of the reasons whodunit shows are so popular is because there's a little detective in us all. We're all looking for signs of life, hints of our identity, and hidden secrets. Remember Sherlock Holmes? He could unravel a person's entire life by the mud on his shoes, the calluses on his hands, and the threads on his coat. Many of us have played Sherlock Holmes at airports or in waiting rooms, whiling away the time by people-watching, constructing a silent profile of their lives by their clothing, accessories, body language, facial appearance, and mannerisms.

The "hidden person of the heart" shows up in all kinds of ways. Your appearance and your home environment are extensions of your thoughts and values. Others can tell a great deal about us by the way we look, the car we drive, the language we use, the habits we keep, the friends we make, and the places we frequent. It's amazing how quickly we can size someone up—or how quickly someone can size us up!

As Christ's followers, we should exhibit certain signs of life that evidence our commitment to our Lord and His kingdom. Some of these are obvious to those who see us in our private moments when we're at prayer, reading our Bibles, writing our tithing checks, and resisting personal temptations.

Most people, however, don't have access to such personal moments. They see us from across the street, across the fence, across the hall, across the office, across the miles, or across the pews.

How do those people recognize that we are God's ambassadors?

It's by our smile ... our joy ... our compassion in the face of another's misfortune ... our friendliness ... our simple lifestyle ... our willingness to commit random acts of kindness ... our benevolence ... our social ministries ... our tears ... our generosity ... our public expressions of our private faith.

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One man approached a cadet at the military academy at West Point a couple of years ago and said to him, "You must be a Christian." The surprised cadet said that he was indeed a follower of Christ. "But how did you know?" asked the young man.

"I saw you in the dining hall," replied the guest. "It was loud and chaotic there with bands playing, a pep rally going on, and a thousand cadets eating and laughing and shouting. But I saw you, in the middle of it all, quietly bow your head before eating your meal."

Does anyone ever come up to you and say, "You must be a Christian"? Do they ask a reason for the hope within you? Has anyone recently said, "There's something different about you; I can't figure it out, but I want what you have"?

Egged on by an entertainment industry and national media that often paint us in a negative light, our society tends to have an unfavorable view of Christians. At the same time, however, the very culture in which we live desperately needs genuine people who display signs of abundant living. This world is starved for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, radiance, simplicity, honesty, and compassion.

Christians specialize in these things.

It's not enough just to talk about the Lord, as important as that is. It's not enough to serve Him in secret with our acts of private devotion. We have to display the lifestyle of the Nazarene in the midst of our corrupt culture. Jesus called it letting our light shine before men that they might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. The apostle Paul said, "Do all things ... without complaining ... that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:14–15).

Think of this book as a sort of mirror that can help you see yourself as others see you. It's also like a doctor's office where you can examine yourself for signs of life. And it's a pep rally where you can be encouraged to walk the talk.

All that—under one cover!

After all, we're not deserted yachts bobbing in paradise. We're fishing boats fitted for the Master's use.

May the Lord give us dusty shoes, worn-out knees, rolled-up sleeves ... and other signs of life.

Day 2

A Faith That Works

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The world around us can't see our inner faith, but it can see our good works that flow from our faith.

When the Ringling Brothers Circus went to New York City in April 2004, thousands of people jammed Madison Square Garden to see the greatest show on earth. What they saw instead was a terrifying accident. A performer named Ernando Rangel Amaya, a thirty-four-year-old Venezuelan high-wire daredevil, lost his balance and plummeted to the ground. The crowd gasped in horror as emergency workers rushed to his side. Rangel somehow survived the fall, but he taught us a valuable lesson: life is all about keeping your balance.

Remember when you watched your toddler learning to walk? when you...