⁸ For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. (1 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV)

How does the message of Good News go forth from you? Is it like the sound of a trumpet or the meek squeezing of a mouse?

I know, I am putting you on the spot and probably making you a bit uncomfortable right now. Especially if you are on the latter end of that scale. It is not always easy to reflect in loud ways how Christ has transformed our lives. We may be in places where it might not be welcomed. We may not have a personality that speaks loudly about spiritual things. But we need to search our motives here. Are they because there is something external or something internal that is stopping us from speaking out boldly about God?

This is a very personal bit of introspection that we all need to conduct regularly. Our faith must have both a deeply inward element and an openly outward element. For it to lack either is for us to not live our faith as God expects. The inward element helps us search ourselves for unaddressed sin and build ourselves up. The outward element builds others up and seeks to give us strength to openly reflect the love of God to all around us, speaking loudly of its origins.

Just because this is uncomfortable for us should not stop us from reflecting God.