I See You As.....

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NLT)

Sometimes the hardest thing about my day is dealing with people. They can be so annoying. I know that doesn’t sound very Christlike; but hear me out.

A little while ago I was sitting in a meeting and honestly, when I left I was just so bothered. There was the person who snorted disapprovingly after I said something. There was the other attendee who was super kind but I wasn’t sure grasped what we were trying to do. There was the woman who wanted to reschedule a meeting we’d had on the calendar for months because she schedule a conflict.

I sit in these meetings and all of these thoughts pop into my head….which I cannot say out loud because that would really NOT be Christlike. We work through the issues and everything gets settled but I leave bothered. On this particular occasion, every time I thought about it I was bothered again. So I decided to bring in the big guns and I prayed about it.

As I did, I remembered a conversation we recently had in Bible Study about humility. Learning humility is hard and it is a life-long lesson. You see, being humble isn’t about plastering a smile on your face, saying what is politically correct and moving on. It’s about the state of your heart.

Do I believe in my core that others are better than me? WOW! That goes against all that we are taught in western society doesn’t it? But it was Christ’s way. Philippians 2 says:

6 Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

If I want to be like Jesus, this is the example I have to follow. I fully admit it is going to take some work. In a lot of situations I am fine with this but there are days where I am terrible at it. So what am I going to do about it? I am going to try to refrain from saying things out loud, put a smile on my face and pray right then and there that God will change me. I am going to ask him to help me see everyone as he sees them and to soften my heart to be like Jesus.

I may not fully get there until Jesus comes but I just have to do it today. Every day I try to be like Jesus, that day will be a success.

Stop Everything!

Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” Mark 5:30 (NLT)

Jesus was surrounded by throngs of people. The definition of a throng is a large, densely packed crowd of people. They were everywhere. You probably couldn’t move much and if the crowd moved, I bet you would move with them by default.

One of the people in the crowd was Jairus. He was a leader at the local synagogue so probably pretty important. He came and pleaded with Jesus for help. He could. He was important. I guess he felt comfortable going to Jesus and asking. Jesus started to walk with him and the crowd, of course, was following.

There was a woman in the crowd that wasn’t supposed to be there though. She had been bleeding for twelve years. In the Jewish culture, she was unclean. Unclean meant she shouldn’t be around anyone. Ever. She was basically quarantined from society.

She had tried everything to get better. Spent all her money. Tried many doctors. Nothing was working and I guess after being alone for twelve years….maybe she was just done. So, she snuck into the crowd and made her way to the only hope she had left. She touched his robe and could feel her body heal.

Jesus, being Jesus, said “Who touched my robe?” I love that line because there were probably a ton of people touching his robe but this was obviously different. And he stopped what he was doing to pay attention. This woman was so desperately seeking what he had to offer and Jesus noticed. He stopped in the middle of this throng and took notice of a woman who had nothing, not even social connections, because she was looking to him for help.

Jesus, was willing to stop what he was doing to get into her messiness. He put aside the important guy standing next to him. He put aside his task list (going to heal Jairus’ daughter). He focused on this one, inconsequential, needing to be healed woman.

He did it for her. He does it for you. Will you do it for others?

Show Us The Father

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father.” John 14:8 (NLT)

Jesus came to “show us the Father.” That was his goal as he walked here on earth. He embodied the Father in human form. And we are supposed to imitate him in all we do living our lives so people can see God in us through our words, actions and responses to what life throws at us.

Do we? When I first thought about this I thought about how hard that would be. I mean, I am not Jesus. He can reflect the Father perfectly because he is after all, God. But before I dismissed this as something I couldn’t do, verse twelve caught my eye.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works.” Uh oh.

Does that mean that since I believe in Jesus and look to him for my example (as the disciples did), that I can reflect the Father? Can people see me, watch my life and say “She reflected God”?

Apparently, Jesus thought so.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

And elsewhere in the Bible we are given the same mandate.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11

Please note, the Bible never said living all out for Jesus would be easy. It’s not. But it does tell us that when we stay focused on him and live our life the way he lived his, we will glorify God. We will make a difference. The highest compliment you can ever get is if someone says “I can see Jesus in you.” And that should always be our goal.

The Ambassador

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT)

What is an ambassador? According to Wikipedia, an ambassador “is the ranking government representative stationed in a foreign capital.” An ambassador is expected to protect the citizens and work for peace.

If you have looked at our world at all, you know we need a lot of ambassadors. Everywhere. Each day there seems to be a news story about hate and violence. People seem to protect themselves and not look out for each other.

So, what are we to do?

In 2 Corinthians 5:15 the Bible says this:

He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

First, I love that it says “He died for everyone” (emphasis mine.) So often we think of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and we think “He died to save me.” And he did because you are part of everyone. But he also died for your neighbor, the co-worker that annoys you, your family member, and the guy on the corner that is homeless. He also died for all of the people throughout history that have done detestable things to each other.

So how should we ambassador?

We no longer live for ourselves. We live for Christ. We recognize that we are no better than the doers of detestable (or irritating) things. We spend time showing God’s love and reaching beyond ourselves. We are always on the look-out for ways to protect and help each other.

Our community, our little corner of the world, is where we serve as an ambassador. When we look at where our world is headed, Jesus needs more ambassadors than ever, don’t you think?

Strategies For The Race

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3 (MSG)

I love this text and of course, God brought it to my reading just when I needed it. Sometimes, if I look at all that seems to be on my plate (which this week feels like a large turkey platter), I get overwhelmed. It’s too hard. I can’t get there from here.

This verse reminds me that my focus is myopic. I am looking at my list of things to be done and not looking at the big picture. Think about Jesus’ life. He intentionally mentored 3 people (Peter, James and John) and also coached the other 9. In addition to that, there were people he encountered that he also helped along the way. He had friendships that he maintained and there was a constant, demanding throng that were always taking from him. How did he do this?

Scripture tells us Jesus kept his eyes on the end game. He never lost sight of where he was headed. Were his days busy? Sure. Did he get tired? Yes, he did. But through all that, he stayed in touch with the Father and he stayed focused.

What drove him? We did. He knew he was headed to the cross. He knew what that looked like and the immense shame and pain that would bring but, he kept walking. He ran the race getting rid of anything that would prevent him from reaching his goal. He was looking forward to the joy he would experience when the task was finished.

Remember. Remember the love that drove him down the path of sacrifice. This will encourage you on your journey. This (He) is our example.

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)

Prayers Of The Master

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. John 17:20 (NLT)

Last night in Bible Study, we did a study of all the ways/times Jesus prayed. If you’ve never done that, I highly recommend it. It reminded me that he prayed is all types of situations, for all types of people, including himself. Jesus is our example in everything.

One of the things I especially liked was today’s verse. In John 17 Jesus is praying. He’s talking to God, pouring out his heart, and guess what is on his mind? Us. You and me! He says “I am praying for all who will ever believe in me.” That’s us!

And guess what? He still is praying for us.

Romans 8:24 says “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

And Hebrews 7:25 says “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”

This Jesus, our Jesus has lifted us up in prayer and is still lifting us up to the Father.

There is something wonderful about knowing that someone is praying for you. If you can give that gift to someone, I encourage you to do so. Praying for someone is like wrapping a warm blanket around them. But know this, you are being prayed for as well. Jesus is wrapping his arms around you and lifting you up. He’s interceding for you. Why? Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

Not So With You

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

It was his last days before he was to face the cross head on. He was trying to share some last lessons with the disciples. Important lessons. Things they needed to remember. But, they were distracted.

What were they distracted with?  They were distracted with who was going to be most important in his kingdom. They were jockeying to see who would rule. I would scoff at this and say "Really?" but I can't. Because I look around our world and I look at myself in the mirror and my brain still goes to this same place. As much as I hate it, those thoughts still pop into my head. What was Jesus' response?

Not so with you.

No matter what the world is doing, no matter how important you think it is to be important, you need to be different.

Jesus, Savior of the World, came as a servant. That is our model. Feeling like we've done something important or great; that is not what matters. What matters is did we point to Jesus enough. Does what we are doing cause people to reflect on him alone.

Not so with you. I need to repeat this to myself over and over again. 

Jesus, make me different. Amen

Did You Leave Your Mark Today?

A cheerful heart is good medicine,  but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)

I am traveling this week. There is a group of us so I am sharing a room with someone.  I get up really early. So as not to wake up my roommate, I leave the hotel and go to a restaurant to have my coffee and my worship (not necessarily in that order).

The first day I went to a restaurant to the right of the hotel.  I walked in to an almost empty restaurant with another couple sitting at a table.  Keep in mind, it's early so this is the end of the shift for the folks working. The hostess/waitress seated me and the entire time was complaining about how busy she was. She told me she wasn't going to get to leave on time and how much she had to do. I told her I was sorry and sat down.

With each person that came in, she did the same thing and she was also complaining to the people in the back. At one point, the man sitting in the table next to me said "It's a little chaotic in here isn't it?"

The next day, I went to the restaurant to the left. I walked in to three tables of people and a host/waiter who greeted me, talked with me and the other customers and laughed with us. I came back to the restaurant on the left every day since.

It is really plausible that the lady at the first restaurant was having a really bad day and that she is not normally so negative but today's Bible text kept popping into my head along with the question "Do I ever do this? Are there days when your challenges keep you from being good medicine?"

Whether we are a hostess, waiter, manager, parent, co-worker or CEO, how we treat people matters. It has a ripple effect on other people's days. The thing to ponder is we leave our mark and often don't see the effect we have on people.

This experience made me more aware of my attitude and how I respond to people. I want to walk away from every situation having left a positive, happy experience in someone's life. I bet Jesus did that.