Do You Reflect Jesus?
“They will put you out of the
synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think
they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have
not known the Father or me.” –
John 16:2-3
When someone slays their children and claims they were
doing the will of God, we know they are mentally ill, evil or both. But how
many times do we “slay” others through our words, actions, motives, and claim
we are doing God’s will?
How often do we offer opinions that aren’t from a
place of love? How often do we judge as though we somehow have authority from
above?
Don’t be so quick to think this doesn’t apply to you.
It does. It applies to all of us. We use God and His Word as an excuse to judge
others, to look down on those who have stumbled, to condemn what we don’t
understand. We want to be comfortable and because of that we pull away from
anything or anyone that isn’t like us.
Have you ever sat next to a homeless person during a
church program? It isn’t always a pleasant smell. But it’s exactly what Jesus
would do.
Do you seek out the recovering drug addict, the
scarlet woman, the man who stole from his company? Do you welcome them to a
place of grace and mercy or do you continue to shun them long after they have
repented of their sins? Be careful how you answer. God just might challenge you
to your lofty ideals.
Do you know that one of the loneliest places you can
ever be is at a church service or at a church event? While you’re merrily
visiting with friends and family, while you’re sitting with your people at your
table or pew, there are others searching for a place to fit in. Do you call
them over? Do you welcome them? Or do you assign that task to a pastor or staff
member? Jesus would seek them out, include them, ask them about themselves. Do
you?
We are a diverse group, we Christians. We come in all
colors, shapes and sizes. We come with a wide variety of income levels, from
barely getting by to beyond affluent. We come with a diverse set of skills and
education, some acquired more from life than school. Yet we still seek to put
people in a box labeled “like me” and, when we can’t, we shun them as being
less and unworthy.
We are the ones who are unworthy. Jesus said that
those who wanted to be first, must be last. He said that those who truly sought
to follow Him would be servants. But we don’t want to be servants. We want to
be leaders and judges, comfortable in our little cliques. Jesus wasn’t in a clique.
He welcomed everyone.
It takes so very little to offer a smile and words of
kindness. It doesn’t cost anything to invite someone new to your table or pew. How
blessed we might be if we quelled our judgmental attitudes and really loved someone
as they are. We are not called to be judges. We are called to love others,
whether they are “loveable” or not.
Do we truly know and love God or are we merely using
Him as an excuse to do evil, to tout our own agendas, to bring power and glory to
ourselves? Live your life as though Jesus truly is walking by your side. Would
your words, actions and attitude make Him praise you for reflecting His light
to a dark world? Or would He condemn you for slaying those who are desperate
for a living Savior?
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