John 14:9
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
My sister shared with me yesterday that the last time Timothy’s mother took him and his siblings for “booster” shots, Timothy did not know that he was going to receive an injection. He and his sister Zola got the nasal mist vaccine for flu…but he also got a “booster” injection of vaccine for something else. Afterward, he cried to his mother and said, “Why did you let them do that? You let them hurt me!” Of course, this tugged at his mother’s heartstrings (as he knew it would) to think that her firstborn felt she had betrayed him and allowed him to suffer. Timothy thought he knew his mother… he thought surely she would never let any harm or pain come to him! So when she allowed this momentary “stick”, he questioned who she really was!
Perhaps you have had a relationship with someone that didn’t turn out so well… you thought you truly knew this person, only to discover that he/she was not who you believed them to be… that there were aspects of this person’s life that you found surprising…even unbelievable. I felt this way when a fellow teacher was strangled to death by her husband - a police sergeant, no less! I would never have dreamed that my friend was being abused. I trusted her husband implicitly. I was with this couple a lot over the course of almost eight years, and I still did not truly know who they were.
Let’s be honest…we humans often listen to Satan - who is the ultimate master of deception - and we become expert at this iniquity in our own lives. People often have no clue who we really are. Sometimes, it’s because we cover well and have truly honed the craft of deception. At other times, this is due to a lack of focus…and perhaps even a touch of apathy on our part.
Here’s another way to explain this…there are people who “appear” to be amazingly faith-filled servants of God. They show up at every church function, are front and center for service projects and “talk a good game”… but it’s all for show. Behind closed doors, they become a totally different person. There are others who quietly go about God’s work…who serve Him by serving others...maintain a close communication with Him at all times…and earnestly seek His will for their lives. They aren’t flashy or obvious…but friends and acquaintances know that God has captured their heart - that they live to serve Him.
Then there is a group of Christians who are “on the fence”. They are not out in the forefront creating a scene or drawing attention to their actions...but there is nothing about their daily living that tells you they are a Disciple of Christ, either. These people “fly under the radar”, so to speak. The average person cannot tell who they are – or what they truly believe. How many times have you heard it said of someone, “He is a really nice guy!”? I hope you understand that not all “nice guys” are representing our Heavenly Father. Not all “nice guys” are Disciples of Christ…and sadly, not all Disciples of Christ are “nice guys”!
The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus is the real deal! If you have “seen” Him - if you know Him for yourself - you know God Almighty. What you “see” truly is what you get with Jesus…it’s not a façade or a gimmick. Jesus isn’t “in your face”…but He isn’t hiding in the shadows, either. In Jesus, we have the perfect example of sharing love, grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, strength, hope and more. All we have to do is open our Bibles and read about His teachings and demonstrations to learn how we are to conduct our own lives. We must maintain an open dialog with God to make sure that our words, thoughts and actions line up each and every day with His plans…that others truly know who we are…and that we are sharing the love of Christ with each of them.
Like Timothy’s mother, there are occasions when God allows a momentary “stick” or “sting” in our lives. But He will never truly betray us…or be Someone we do not know. Can we say the same in our own daily living? Are we always the “real deal” for Jesus? Do others truly know who we are…can they say that they have seen the Father in you?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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