Do I LOOK LIKE Jesus?
If you are a believer in Jesus, you are being watched, you know? If your children (young or old), friends, neighbors and relatives know you are a Bible-believing, Jesus-loving, Holy Spirit-filled, church-going christian, everything you do (or don’t do) is on display. And, since the Bible tells us we are literally “…mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18b), we have a huge responsibility to truly demonstrate what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
Ask yourself…
Do your children trust your integrity in any given situation (integrity = doing the right thing when no one is looking)?
Do your driving companions observe your annoyance at the foolish mistakes of other drivers or do they see you responding with patience (not to mention the fact that we all make similar mistakes often when driving!)?
Can loved ones and strangers alike count on an apology from you when you are in the wrong?
Does worry and anxiety mark your life or do you enjoy “…the peace that passes all understanding [because that peace from God] guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6, emphasis mine)?
Is self-righteousness a running theme in your thought life or do you remember that “Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors” (Proverbs 29:23, MSG)?
Do you sometimes stretch the truth to make you (or your children) look better?
Do you always expect a “thank you” or are you generous with your time, efforts and money because Jesus was generous with you (remember, he gave his life for you and me and didn’t expect a thank you)?
Now listen up, please. My intention is not to create guilt (by the way I’m guilty of all of the above at one time or another as well!). My goal here is to remind us that BECAUSE people are watching, BECAUSE people are always assessing our behavior and summing up our lives, we are to be like a letter of recommendation for Jesus, a reference letter of sorts for what a gospel-soaked christian life looks like (not that he needs a letter of recommendation but he’s asked us to be one for our benefit. And that’s a subject to be discussed further in a different post).
One last thing…be encouraged: The more time you spend with HIM, the more you’ll look like HIM.
“As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. 2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne…” (Hebrews 12:1+2, GNT).