When People Look at Your Life, Does It Accurately Reflect Jesus?
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If you have ever watched an artist paint a portrait, they will usually have the model or object of the painting sitting in front of them. Their goal is to put on canvas what this person looks like. The best artists are very meticulous in ensuring they create a painting that genuinely reflects the person in front of them. When the artist is superb, there is not much difference between what is on the canvas and what the person actually looks like.
We all know Jesus loved sacrificially because he gave his life for us. However, Jesus also loved faithfully and completely. One of my favorite verses in John is this one.
Jesus did not just love for the moment. He loved them until the end. This means he never stopped reaching, caring, and even restoring. One example of Jesus loving to the end was restoring Peter after he had denied him.
This causes me to ask myself and you, are you loving to the end? Do you give up on those who may have hurt you? Are you quick to want to pass judgment and forget the one who may have turned their back? That is not how Jesus loves. He died for us when we were sinners. He forgives us when we repent. He restores us after falling.
If we are going to love people in a way that reflects Christ, then we must go all in. We must walk with people through their struggles and not leave them all alone. When we care for the whole person, to the end, then our love is reflecting Christ’s love towards other people.
If you consider the lives of many who profess to be followers of Christ recently, here is how the portrait has looked. Christians have been seen as cynical, angry, divisive, hypocritical, self-centered, and judgmental. It should not surprise you that none of these are qualities that reflect Christ, yet this is what the world is seeing.
How do we change that? We focus on the one element that represents Jesus more than any other: His love. The Bible reminds us that your love is more important than your gift, your talents, your faith, your knowledge, and your sacrifice.
If you really want to be someone who reflects Christ, then you must look at yourself and be honest about what you see. When you do this, ask God to reveal all the areas of your life that don’t remind anyone of Jesus. If you pray this sincerely, God will do that. Best of all, what he reveals, he does so because he wants to heal it and transform it.
I don’t know about you, but I want to reflect Christ in all aspects of my life. I pray you would join me and this would be a challenge you readily accept. But be prepared, because God is going to work on some things in your life. However, since he is the artist, when he is done the portrait of your life will reflect Christ.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Ilber Franco
