"Ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so
 every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt
 tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  Wherefore by their fruits
 ye shall know them."  - Matthew 7:16, 17, 20

The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore' lost his passport while traveling in Europe.  When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards.  Giving his name to the official, Dore' hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass.  The guard, however, said that many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be persons they were not.

Dore' insisted that he was the man he claimed to be.  "All right," said the official, "we'll give you a test, and if you pass it we'll allow you to go through."  Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby.  Dore' did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced that he was indeed who he claimed to be.  His work confirmed his word!

We claim to be Christians.  Do our works prove it?  Do our lives bear the proof that we are His?

Imagine for a moment that the government of the United States has been following your every move for the past six months and now an official representative of the government is at your door with the announcement, "You are under arrest!"  The charge?  That you are a Christian.

Your trial begins and one by one the prosecution calls to the witness stand those who know you best.  First, there are your spouse and children.  Then, they call your mom and dad and other relatives to testify.  Your neighbors, friends and co-workers are all asked to tell what they know about you.  Some casual acquaintances that you barely know are interrogated on how you live, on what they know you stand for, on what they have seen you say and do.  Then, they call the cashier from the grocery store.  Your barber, the gas station attendant, the video store operator and your accountant are all asked to take the stand and give an account of what you say and do.  Your barber tells about the jokes you told while hanging around with "the guys."  The gas station attendant tells about how you treated your spouse.  The video store operator testifies about the content of the movies you rented.    They all give testimony about what they know about the life you live.

Then, some people you have never seen before in your life come forward.  They announce that they do not know you, but they have seen you around.  They represent the people that stood behind you in line at Wal-Mart, walked down the aisle next to you at J.C. Penney, saw you at the park when you were playing baseball with the guys.  These are the people you have never seen, but who overheard all the things you said in private and saw all the things in your life that you thought no one else saw.

One by one they are called - all to testify on what they have seen you do and heard you say.  They give an account of your life.

The jury leaves for a private room to determine the verdict.  My question is, "Would they have enough evidence to convict you."  Would your closest friends and relatives, casual acquaintances and people you don't even know all agree in unison that "Yes, you are a Christian."  Do they all know without a doubt where you stand because of all that you say and all that you do?

If you were accused of being a Christian, based on the facts, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

We claim to be Christians - do our lives prove it?  Friend, let us strive to live our lives in such a way that there would be no shred of doubt.  Let us say and do things that are so Christ-like that it leaves no room for speculation.  Oh that our lives would be on display for the world to see that we are indeed disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ - by the commitment to the Word of God that we show, by the compassion seen in our actions, by the love we show for all, by the stand we take on the tough issues, by every detail of our walk whether at work or at play.

May there be no doubt about it.  We are His!

May we live our lives in such a way that if our lives were on trial for being a Christian the jury would emphatically return a verdict of … 

..."Guilty as Charged!"
 
Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!