Join me for 31 days of Inspirations. Here is Day 1 - Who Am I??
In Matthew 16:13-16, Jesus has a conversation with His disciples that we should all have with Him. 13 starts with Him asking them who do the people think He is. It seems that they can answer this quickly - John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or a prophet. Then the conversation becomes intimate - He asks them who do they say He is. I love the way God laid this out. It went from the external to the internal.
Lesson 1: It doesn't matter what others think. When I first accepted Christ into my life, some thought me strange as they knew my background. I liked to party and that included drinking. But, when I changed my ways, the partying died. It mattered not what others thought of my transformation. All that mattered to me was that I did transform. The God that I accepted into my life, the same God that had always been there waiting on me, never changed. However, my view of Him, my acceptance of Him did. Thus, who He is in my life became different.
Lesson 2: Accepting Christ into your life isn't as hard or mystical as we think. Simon Peter openly acknowledged Jesus as Christ, Son of the Living God (16). When we accept Jesus on the inside, we can verbally say so on the outside. I actually crack up at people that have an issue with rappers that thank God when they get awards. Why are you arguing with them? You don't get to tell anyone else what their relationship with Jesus is. Now, suppose Jesus has them win an award then go acknowledge Him. Keep supposing that some young kid is struggling with accepting Christ then he sees His idol talking about time spent in church and how much he loves God. Guess what - that same rapper that you are questioning has done the work of an evangelist - without the need for the title or the accolades we want to give church folk. What if the kid then goes to church with his friend or grandmother and after some time his views on Christ change and he gives his life to Christ. But, church folk won't see God's hand in this. How he used the rapper. They'll say it was the kid's season to change his life. They'll rely on Ecclesiastes 3 or Jeremiah 29:11. I spy with my little eye - narrow minded people. If God can use a donkey (Numbers 22:20-33), surely, He can use a rapper. Please put your holier than thou self on the back burner and take God out of the box. God is bigger than any box.
Lesson 3: Jesus wants us to acknowledge Him in our lives. He's waiting on us. Some of us have this thing of only doing so when things go wrong and we need Him. Lets play a game and let me give you a clue - We need Him everyday on every decision. It's His will that allows us the choice to decide to follow His advice or not. Waiting to acknowledge Jesus when something goes wrong is a problem. Earlier in Matthew 16, the disciples learn that Jesus wants them to be aware of the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees (16:1-12). You must be vigilant and aware of those around you. Knowing that what they speak is of God and not of themselves (Jeremiah 29:8-9).
God wants us to form an intimate relationship with Him. Otherwise, why would He ask us who He is to us?
Be A Blessing and not Just Blessed
- Nakya
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