Tuesday, June 11, 2013

ToughTruthTuesday-Is He Really Everything?


     If someone where to look at your life, what would they see? If I asked your neighbors what sports team you cheer for, would they know? Would they tell me you go on vacation every summer? Would they tell me you have a love for animals? Do they think you are patriotic because there is a flag hanging from your porch? Would they tell me they think you attend church somewhere because you always leave your home dressed up on Sunday mornings? Would they be able to tell me that you have invited them to go with you? As Christians, Jesus is to be everything to us, but are we living like he is? If Jesus is truly everything to us, shouldn’t it be reflected in our actions? How does the world know Jesus is everything to us? How do they know he is the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14)? How do they know he is our prophet, priest and king?

They should see a difference in us. They should see a difference because we put the Lord in his rightful place-First. Luke 14:26; Acts 3:23 We are not told that it is difficult to be a disciple of the Lord’s, if we do not put him first; we are told it is not possible. We cannot be his disciple if we do not put him first. If we put the Lord in his rightful place can we go and do things that he has commanded us not to? Can we gossip if what we say is true? Can we lie when we would just rather go fishing than to work? Can we cheat on our taxes? Can we steal supplies from our workplace? Can we discuss how funny that new sitcom is that pushes the homosexual agenda? Can we use our social media pages to vent about our boss, friends, or family? Can we wear shorts, bikinis or strapless dresses that leave little to the imagination and expect the world to see a difference in us? You get the idea. If we have him in his rightful place it will show in all aspects of our lives. We won’t dress like the world. We won’t watch what the world says is okay. We won’t talk as the world does because we are different. We are called out (Romans 12:2). Does being different, putting the Lord first and denying ourselves mean we cannot live without any modern conveniences or luxuries (Luke 14:26)? Absolutely not! Of course if we have these blessings we should certainly be thankful for them and utilize them. Luke 14:26 teaches simply, that we cannot love anything else more than the Lord, be it the world, family members or material possessions.

Our neighbors will know Jesus is everything to us when they see us repent and ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes. Being children of God doesn’t mean we are perfect people. Finally, they will know Jesus is everything to us when they see an ever-present hope and joy in us. As children of God, we don’t have to worry about the future (Matthew 6:34) and we know there is a place in heaven reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4). Why should we not be the happiest people on earth? Why should we not want everyone to experience the joy and peace we feel?

If our neighbors truly see Jesus being everything to us, rather than us just professing so, they might take more interest in this message we’re trying to share with them. Don’t underestimate the power of your influence. We will never reach lost souls who see nothing different about our lives compared to theirs.