1 JOHN 2:6 – Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
THEME OF THE DAY. REPRESENTING THE LORD JESUS. Every sensitive Christian wants to present an accurate witness for the Lord Jesus. Each of us yearns to live these words of the Apostle Paul concerning our representation of the Lord Jesus before the people observing us – “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21). When it comes to our witness for the Lord Jesus, it is observed in three spheres. Let’s consider what a good representation of the Lord Jesus would look like in each one.
The first, primary, and most important place we represent Jesus is in our families. It is in the most intimate and most observed relationship God has given us. It is also the most important because how we are in our families will determine the quality and influence of our walk with Jesus in every other area of life; church and vocation. I cannot stress this enough. What we are in our homes is what we truly are before the Lord. If there is a “spiritual disconnect” between what we put forth in public and what we are in the privacy of our homes, we are wearing the God-displeasing mask of hypocrisy. When it comes to representing Jesus in our homes, this will largely be measured by two things; our speech and our love to family members. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If our speech to family members is short, tense, cutting, and unkind, we are out of fellowship with the always kind Jesus. Conversely, if our speech is seasoned by grace and uplifting, we are giving our families a good witness of the Lord Jesus. Then there is our love to family members. Now don’t be quick to say, “I love my family” and mindlessly go on. One of the most revealing evidences of our love for people, and particularly our families, is commitment to quality time together for communication, enjoyment, and spiritual development. If we say, “I love my family”, but neglect all three of those areas, again, we are wearing a mask of hypocrisy.
A second area we represent the Lord Jesus is to His people. There are two ways we put forth a solid and God-honoring witness for His Son in our relationships with His people. First is by serving them in tangible ways of meeting needs. The Apostle John writes, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). Christians in a healthy walk with the Lord serve His people. Saved people serve people. It is part of new birth. The other way we represent the Lord Jesus accurately among His people is by spiritual investments in His people. We do this by faithfulness to His church, giving ourselves over to praying with one another, studying the Word together, and spiritual encouragement by carrying each other’s burdens – (Acts 2:42; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 10:25). When it comes to representing Christ to God’s people it is shown by loving one another and that by being involved in each other’s lives sacrificially, spiritually, and consistently.
The final area we are privileged to represent the Lord Jesus is through our vocations. Here is a simple question that tells us much about how we view our job – “Would people recognize us as Jesus was recognized; a friend of sinners?” The exact words read, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ (Matthew 11:19). There exists no greater affirmation of a glowing testimony for the Lord Jesus than for sinners to see Him in us, and that by our compassion and reaching out to them as friends, not compromising friends, but friends who model Him who is the truth before them.
Friends, we represent our Lord Jesus. The quality of that representation in our homes, churches, and vocations rests upon us as individuals in our closeness and fellowship with the One we represent.
PRAYER: “Father, help people to see Your Son in me everywhere I go”
QUOTE: “Christians represent Christ. Are we accurately doing so?”