Illustration: Christian Life, Discipleship

Ruth Bell Graham wrote of an encounter she had with a young Indian student named Pashi. She spoke with Pashi about Christ, to which he replied, "I would like to believe in Christ, and many in India would like to believe; but we never have seen a Christian who was like Christ."

A friend of Mrs. Graham told her to tell Pashi, "I'm not offering you Christians. I am offering you Christ." Good point. No one ever will be excused for not believing in Christ on the basis of Christians' lack of faithfulness. On the other hand, we should ask ourselves: "What does a person look like who says he or she is a follower of Christ?" "Should Christians be like Jesus Christ?" Perhaps the most well-known answer to that question is the description given of David: a man after God's own heart, committed to doing all of God's will. Perhaps that's what a Christian should be -- a person committed to doing all of God's will. If a government order were issued to arrest everyone who "appears" to be a Christian, would you be incarcerated?

The person after God's heart is the person whose own heart seeks first the kingdom of God.

(Turning Point Daily Devotional, 9/29/03)