Because it was new leather, it was "squeaking" every time I moved. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to greet people at church. I didn't want to disturb anyone's prayer time. I didn't want people to be looking at me. It's not that I was embarrassed by my new belt--it's pretty nice and classy. I simply didn't want to offend anyone with my "squeaking".
And that got me thinking...are we embarrassed about knowing Jesus? Do we "keep our distance" in conversation so that we don't offend someone by sharing Jesus? I think all too often we are embarrassed of our relationship with Jesus--and if we're not, we certainly act like we are. Or we don't want to offend someone so we don't talk about Him. Or worse, we don't even act like Him.
It's not that I didn't want people to know that I had a new belt, I didn't want people to be annoyed. And yet, the "squeaking" would only have caused someone to ask and I could have shown my new belt. And the same holds true for Jesus. Don't change who you are depending on who you're around. Walk like Jesus everywhere; people will SEE you "squeaking" because you are different from the world. And then you can show them Someone--Someone who is nice and classy.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." -James 1:22-25 (ESV)-
And that got me thinking...are we embarrassed about knowing Jesus? Do we "keep our distance" in conversation so that we don't offend someone by sharing Jesus? I think all too often we are embarrassed of our relationship with Jesus--and if we're not, we certainly act like we are. Or we don't want to offend someone so we don't talk about Him. Or worse, we don't even act like Him.
It's not that I didn't want people to know that I had a new belt, I didn't want people to be annoyed. And yet, the "squeaking" would only have caused someone to ask and I could have shown my new belt. And the same holds true for Jesus. Don't change who you are depending on who you're around. Walk like Jesus everywhere; people will SEE you "squeaking" because you are different from the world. And then you can show them Someone--Someone who is nice and classy.
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." -James 1:22-25 (ESV)-
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