“We share a common calling from God to bear witness in the entirety of our lives that Jesus is Lord of all.” In this line from the Upper Room “Disciplines” book, my favorite part is ‘in the entirety of our lives’. Not just sometime, not just Sunday morning, not just Wednesday night. But all the time and everywhere!

My second favorite part of this line is ‘Lord of all.’ Not just part of my life, but ALL of my life. In bearing witness to Christ, we can do so by words, by actions, by deeds… As people encounter Christians they should know that we are different. It should show up in all areas of our life and in all sectors of our life.

To do these two things, somtimes we must ‘count the cost.’ At times there will be a price to pay for choosing to walk the path of God. We may make choices that cost us friendships, popularity, position, and so on. But in reality, God is only asking of us what He in return gives us. He isn’t just with us some of the time, He is with us ALL of the time. We can’t just call on his name between 8 and noon on Sunday, we can call on His name anytime.

In closing I’d like to share part of the prayer from the same reading today and would encourage you to pray it instead of just reading it: “Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for your peace and forgivenss and for making me new in you. Thank you for the many Christ-bearing witnesses you bring into my life and heart. In Your Spirit, Holy One, may I bear the light and love of Christ to others. Amen.”