How much have you allowed Christ to shine through you? ...His life in you?
Now, this is not about Bible knowledge. Nor about "christianese" behavior. But how much of His life is in you. Really
showing through you?
When you see someone hurting, or broken. What comes to your mind first? What do you feel? Is your heart pained? Does
it ache? Broken for them? Do you think, "what can I do for them?"
...Or are you bothered. By the inconvenience someones' problems may cause you? The plans
you may have to give up, or change. The football game you may miss. The T.V. show?
What comes to your mind?
What is really important to you?
You know it's really heart breaking. To think that God loves us so much. He gives us everything that He loves dearly.
His own Son:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16 NKJV)
Yet, we are not willing to give much to anyone else! Not much of our hearts.
...And very little of our time.
Our hearts do not ache as His does. For those that are hurt, broken and lost. We would rather worry about our own lives.
Our own needs and wants. Than for the needs of others.
But are we not called to love others?
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
(John 13:34 NKJV)
Care for others?
"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
(Galatians 6:2 NKJV)
And are we not predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ?
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the firstborn among many brethren.
(Romans 8:29 NKJV)
...Even called?
"Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified,
these He also glorified."
(Romans 8:30 NKJV)
But yet few of us. if we are truly being honest. Are really allowing ourselves to be conformed! Allowing Him
to change us into who He would have us become (John 15:1-2).
You see something is truly amiss when we are not being conformed to the image of Christ!
There are so many hurting in the world. Lonely, broken and lost. But yet most of us are more concerned with other
things. Such as, what T.V. show is on tonight. Or the shopping that needs to be done. Or the new curtains to put up in the
house.
Basically? ...We're more concerned about ourselves, than others! We're selfish!!
Now, let's be honest we are all guilty to some degree! Are we not?
Now, there are times that we need to be concerned about our personal things (needs, concerns, etc.). But we really have
to ask ourselves this. Do the needs of others ever come accross our "radar screen"?
Do we really have the heart of Jesus? The mind of Christ? Now, some may say, "well, Jesus is Lord, we'll never have His
heart, His mind". And if this is your attitude, than you are wrong!
...In fact you are dead wrong!!
"For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind
of Christ.'
(1 Corinthians 2:16
NKJV)
And you have to ask yourself this. Do you really know who Jesus is? Do you really know, and understand the love He has
for all of us? For the world?
...Do you really know His character? His heart:
"Jesus called them over and said to them, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles
dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them. But it must not be like that among you.
On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among
you must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
His life —a ransom for many."
(Mark
10:42-45 HCSB)
"So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know
what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your
Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example,
that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he
who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."
(John 13:12-17 NKJV)
You really have to ask yourself. Do you really understand that you are being conformed to His image? If
you truly have made Him Lord of your life. Just as we read in Romans 8:29.
You see it all comes down to this. We are called not only for salvation.
But we are called to love others:
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:35 NKJV)
Also to spread the gospel mesage:
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,
I am with you always, to the end of the age."
(Matthew 28:19-20 HCSB)
And to love others as we should. To spread the gospel message. We have to have the heart (and mind) of Christ!
In all that we do as believers!
It' simply not enough to confess ourselves as believers. But we must put that same confession into action! We must "live
our lives out loud" (as a contemporary christian song puts it!)!!
You see Jesus had a loving and humble heart. He put others above Himself. And the question for all of us is this. Do
we have that heart and mind of Christ? If not perhaps it's time to really let Him be Lord of our lives?
Afterall, remember what James said?
"
Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?
Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in
rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off
without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without
God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle
the works department."
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith
apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as
if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do
you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?"
(James 2:14-20 The Message *Note -The message is a modern paraphrase of scripture)
You see James knew, just as we should! That faith without works is not real faith!!
So we must ask ourselves. Is Jesus' life really shinning through us?
And here's some "food for thought":
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it
robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in
the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross."
(Philippians 2:5-8
NKJV)
