You Are A Witness
Trials and struggles are challenging. There’s simply no way to get around it. They come in different shapes and sizes, but there is one thing to be sure of – we all face them. Some are circumstantial and others are self-inflicted. It’s the self-inflicted ones I want to bring some attention to.
See, our practices habituate things in us. Some of them are good things and others can be harmful. We all have something – if we were to take an honest look at our routine – that is likely taking away more value than it’s adding.
Spiritually speaking, for the believer, it’s imperative that we remember what our goal is here on earth. It is not to simply say I believe in Jesus and then go on with our lives. No, the goal is sanctification – a fancy word that means to become like Jesus. Friend, Jesus didn’t just die and resurrect to save you from your sins, He also died and resurrected to save the person to your right and to your left. This is the Gospel of Jesus – the Good News.
Now, God is able to communicate with people throughout whatever means necessary and there are times that He does this supernaturally. Generally speaking, He uses you and I in normal conversations with other people. Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
There’s something about how we, as believers, live our lives that witnesses to those around us. The first point to mention here is this: live your life with the understanding that people are watching you. This isn’t meant to be a narcissistic point, but it’s worth mentioning that the average person, over the course of their life, will have an effect on 8,000 people. That’s just the average. This ranges from who your best friend is to taking the extra time to have a meaningful moment with the person bagging your groceries.
Let me begin to circle the landing strip here. If it’s true the world is watching us, and it’s true we’ve been called to live a life in line with Jesus, then it’s imperative we stay focused and attentive on the Person and Work of Jesus being the influence of our personal maturity. Let me say it this way – as we grow, who are our practices growing us to become more like?
The second and most important point is you don’t just arrive at being like Jesus and then stay there. No, our journey of sanctification is one we won’t ever fully “arrive” at until we see Jesus face-to-face. And it is one that requires pointed attention day in and day out – whether you’re just now choosing to follow Jesus or you’ve been following Him for years.
I had a baseball coach say once, “your baseball swing is like brushing your teeth. You could have brushed your teeth every day of your life, but as soon as you take a few days off your breath begins to stink.” Our walk with Jesus is similar. As soon as we take our eyes off Him, we begin to conform away from Him to look like the world. “Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2a).
God only changes the way we think as we fix our gaze on Him. Your practices matter friend. I want to encourage you to stay attentive to the rhythms and routines of your day. Are they producing fruit that looks more like kindness and love or anger and anxiousness? Remember, whether you’re shopping, at work, on a run, or at a coffee shop – you are witnessing to people around you towards something. Let’s be a witness for the Lord not the world.
