JOHN 12:20-22 – “Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.”
THEME OF THE DAY: ARE YOU JESUS? It happened quite a few years ago but is as fresh as if it were today. It was that impactful and has often been used of the Lord in times of self-reflection and self-examination of my spiritual condition.
It was a Lord’s Day morning. The little boy sat faithfully on the second row in the front of the sanctuary. He was a foster child about six years of age. Every Sunday he would sit there and just stare at me as I preached. It impressed me how engaged he appeared to be during the sermon. After each service, I made a point to greet him. I would descend from the platform, shake his hand, and then say hello. This Sunday the routine differed. As I began my normal routine of greeting him, right after the handshake, he said, “Can I ask you a question?” He caught me off guard for a second for he rarely talked, then I responded, “Of course my little friend, anything.” He stared at me and quizzed, “Are you Jesus?” Immediate pause, then I put my hand on his little shoulder and said, “No, I am not, but I do work for Him.” That was enough. He said, “Okay” and then headed down the aisle.
“Are you Jesus?” Think about that question for a moment. It says so much about Christian life and what is to be our daily pursuit in the Christian life. So simple, yet so profound. Of course, we each would answer the question, “No, I am not.” And I wish I could go back and answer my six-year-old friend’s question differently. I would have said, “No, I am not Jesus, but I try to represent Him to every person I meet.”
The Apostle Paul would tell the Corinthians and us that we are to leave the sweet-smelling aroma of Christ everywhere we go . . .
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).
It won’t be the amount of knowledge of Christ we obtain and share, nor will it be our spiritual gifts, natural talents, and our service for Christ that has the greatest impact on people for Christ. Our character, our conformity to the image of Jesus, will be the most influential force for Christ we will have in the lives of people. In fact, the working out of our salvation is just that – God’s work of conforming us into the image of Christ . . .
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30).
We may not have a person ask us if we are Jesus, but we can evaluate ourselves to see if God is shaping us to be like Jesus. Afterall, His likeness is the goal of our salvation and the most impactful force for the gospel in this world.
PRAYER: Father, may my life reflect Your Son that other people notice Him, not me, in my actions, attitude and talk.
REFLECTION: Our influence for Christ will be the greatest by our likeness to Christ.