Do You Point Others to God?
July 19, 2023
I mentioned an excursion we took on our Alaskan cruise in the post titled, The Answer for Weathering Rough Seas. In that post, I mentioned that even though the weather was extremely rough, we saw a few whales. This week’s photo is the best I could do that day.
I think this photo works for the purpose of today’s post.
I want you to take a moment and as you look at the photo, think about what you can’t see.
Are you able to visualize the rest of the huge animal just by seeing its fluke? The rest of its color? Maybe a sense of its size. Even though you can’t see through the water, could you imagine the rest of it?
Of course, unless you are a whale expert, you may not know exactly what kind of whale it is. I couldn’t tell you what it is. You may not know its size, its name, or where you might find another. But you can tell it’s a whale.
The same can apply to us.
Do You Point Others to God? #hope #joy #writingcommunity Click To TweetSomeone may only see you a few hours a week. They may not see all of you. They may see the Sunday you and miss the Monday through Saturday you. Let’s say that is the case. You have a friend from church who sees you maybe in a class setting an hour a week. Could be you get together a couple other times during the during special occasions.
When they see that bit of you, what do they think the rest of you looks like?
Now, suppose you have another friend who sees you in a work setting. Maybe they see you when times are stressful. They only see you during hallway conversations or while in a meeting. Could be they, like your Sunday friend, see you a couple of other times after work hours during special occasions.
When this friend sees that bit of you, what do they think the rest of you looks like?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warned His disciples to beware false prophets. He specifically told them that at times they would act one way (like a sheep), but inwardly they would be totally different (like a wolf). Their Sunday friends may believe them to be a good person, doing what God would have them do, but their weekday friends would know they were not really that way.
Jesus put it this way…
“So then, you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:20, NASB)
Today’s photo reminds me that in order to honor God, I want the small piece that each person sees of me to be a representation of the Christian He wants me to be. I don’t always do a good job at this. I’m sure there are times when someone sees me in certain situations where they say, “Boy, you sure do worry a lot to be a Christian. I thought Christians had more faith than that.” Or a different person may see me in a different setting and say, “Wow, I thought Christians weren’t so fearful.”
Those are bad enough, but I’d really feel bad if they said, “God must not be able to handle his worries, or God must not be able to give him strength.”
I’m going to work on those things. I want people to see the fruit they see and say, “God must be a God of [insert any of God’s wonderful attributes here].” He is a God of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He is a strong, fearless God. Through Him and by Him we can portray that same fruit.
My prayer is that you, and I, point others to Him through the fruit they see in us.
This is more of an intriquing question for someone who is largely housebound. Thank God for social media, which is where I mostly interact with folks.
I agree. And I’ll tell you, Joy, I believe you do. Much of it comes out in the way someone writes and how they interact with others, whether in person or on-line. Thanks for the helpful comment.
What a great post Tim! That’s my prayer too – that I will point others to God. I also struggle with worry and fear of certain things, but I think sometimes people get it wrong when they say if we worry, we just don’t have enough faith. The fact that we worry, give our concerns to God, and do things we might be more comfortable NOT doing shows how much we DO trust God. As you said, I want people to be able to see God’s goodness through my life, even if that means they have to see how He gets me through the messy parts too. Thanks for a wonderful reminder that we represent God through our lives. May they see how loving, kind, peaceful, patient, etc., He is.
Thank you, Terri. All great points. People need to see messy 😊.
I have to battle the fear and worry thing too… but I think I’m getting better in dealing with those. Many times when I’m out in the stores grocery shopping, I see people who I recognize as fellow Christians by a certain light in their eyes, how they are dealing with children, what they are looking at and buying, and when they smile and are helpful. A great post to remind us to always do those things:)
Thank you, Jane. Sorry for the late response. It’s good to be perceptive about those things when we are out.
Thanks for sharing, Tim. Yes, I’m a work in progress as well. Grateful God loves me just as I am – and He loves me too much to leave me that way. I’m also thankful He lets me know my part, and He does what only He can do.
Thanks, Joni. We’re all a work in progress–that’s for sure. I love it – “He loves me too much to leave me there.”
Great reminder indeed. When 2020 hit and we all stayed home some interesting things I observed. People I knew more from in person contact were many times not the same person I saw on FB. It was a true eye-opening period. I saw the differences going in both directions. Those sweet to my face showed a backstabbing personality in their interactions on FB and those who were hard to like in person showed on sunshine online. I am a huge fan of being real 24/7/365. Being authentic and vulnerability are so important for me in my own life and in the lives of those whom I choose to trust.
Thank you, Teresa. You insightful to not only recognize that sometimes who we are in-person is different than who we are on-line, but then to expand to make sure you are the same no matter where is mature.