How you portray yourself will give people an indication of how you represent your Christ. The world can only consider your words, actions and interactions, you are the picture of Christ they see.
No matter what you do, you will always leave an impression on others, for good or bad. The watching world needs to see Christ in you because that is the only “hope” they have, of God’s glory and goodness.
You may be a Christian of many years, maybe you are even a Sunday school Teacher, a Pastor and group leader, or you say you believe in Christ.
Can people outside the church recognize Christ in you? Can they read the words or the mind of Christ through you?
Nobody has ever seen God, but they see you, who call yourself a “representative” of Christ. Can they match your humility, self-sacrifice, compassion, empathy, and your love for God and others, with what they should know about Jesus?
The world needs our preserving influence, and also need to see the light of Christ shining through us.
You may be the only Bible some people will ever read, so let’s be guided accordingly to reflect what the Bible says in Matthew 5:13 that “… if salt loses its saltiness” it becomes “good for nothing, except to be discarded, and trampled under people’s feet”.
Let us quickly reflect on a popular hymn we sing in church title: LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU. The second stanza says:
Your life’s a book before their eyes,
They’re reading it thro’ and thro’;
Say, does it point them to the skies,
Do others see Jesus in you?
This teaches us three things to take home today.
- You might not notice, but people are listening to you. They hear the words you use with others and how you say them. If you are a gossip, then you’re not letting people see Christ, but if your words are edifying, people will see that you’re different from others. Let them hear words seasoned with salt, or more precisely, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Col 4:6).
- Even if you never get the chance to be heard by others, your actions can speak a lot louder than words. What you do is more important than what you say, because words are cheap; they come a dime a dozen. The hard part is doing, but when you do for others, you are telling people about Christ without using words.
- When we get the chance to do good, we should do it, as the Apostle John wrote, “if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him” (1st John 3:17)
In conclusion, the truth is that the world is watching you. They have stories to tell about you, and your lifestyle is a function of how they see and view Jesus. Continue to live a Godly life and his grace shall continually abound in your life in Jesus Name. Amen.
Stay Blessed.