Oh friends. My heart and head have been spinning all day with thoughts and revelations, and I simply must type them out to put my mind at ease. This morning we had a beautiful candle service to celebrate the coming of our King, and Pastor Troy was reading from a passage concerning “light” that reminded me of two separate passages:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
… which spurred me on to the verse:
“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:16
And I began to think...dangerous, I know… But I began to ask myself -- what kind of fruit am I bearing? Is the Jesus I say I serve, and the spiritual fruit being produced in my life reflective of who Jesus really is? By living my life, do people want my Jesus? It’s a humbling thought, because I had to answer honestly, not always.
We live in an independent, “don’t judge me,” “this is my life” type of society. But the sheer reality is, people make judgements all the time. We judge which babysitter is worthy of caring for our children. We judge which spouse we will take, or who we will date. We judge whether or not to trust someone. We judge people, things, ourselves. As Christians, we know we will be judged, even condemned, for our faith. Which brings me back to the question that haunted me all day… What Jesus am I showing through my life? What fruits in my life are present, amidst judgement and persecution and the distractions of everyday life that point to my Savior? Am I a testament of grace? Of joy? Of understanding? Of telling the truth in love? Or am I instead a testament of complacency and self-reliance -- am I simply a good person??
As the new year approaches and as we celebrate the beginning of our Savior’s journey to the cross, take a moment to think, to really confront yourself, what Jesus am I showing?? The results may be humbling, but if they will know us by our fruits, shouldn’t we start being dangerously aware of how we help people encounter our Jesus??
Merry Christmas, dear friends, and may this season challenge you as much as it blesses you. Remember that without God’s sacrifice, there would be no celebration.
Rep.
