(I know, I know...You're thinking, "Surely she has lost it." Yes, probably so, but it got your attention, didn't it?)
This title isn't about gardening. It's about being mindful, as followers of Christ, of what we "show" to the world around us. It's about guarding ourselves and being watchful of how and what we present to the world. It's about keeping safe that which God deposited in our hearts and mindful about what crosses our lips ( "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks"- Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 - NIV). It's about being attentive to how we behave and act. In private and in public.
In Luke 12: 1-3 it says, "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying:'Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.' "
Not only do those "taters" have eyes, they apparently have big ears. We may think that no one besides God is mindful of what we are saying and doing, but that is not so. The eyes and ears of the world are tuned in to us. As believers in Christ we have an awesome responsibility to not just represent Christ, but to re-present Him. We are His body. Our hearts should beat for Him. Our minds should think the way Christ's does. Our hearts should be filled with His love and compassion. Our eyes should see supernaturally --beyond what our natural eyes can see on the surface. Our ears should hear His voice. Our hands should reach out to those around us as His did. Our feet should willingly follow where He leads us. Our voices should speak His truth and His word. We are to be His unified body, speaking and acting as Christ. Re-presenting Him to the world around us.
Will we ever be able to perfectly re-present Christ? No, of course not. There was only one perfect Christ and we're not Him. We can only strive to reach that goal. We can only do our best, using the gifts and talents that God has given to each one of us, and relying on God for the rest. How can we best re-present Christ? Here is a list to help you get started:
1) Seek the will of God through daily Bible reading and prayer. What is important to God and already exists in heaven are the very same things that are important to Christ. They should also be important to you. Make them part of who you are. Develop the mind of Christ in you.
2) Discover your God-given gifts and talents. Read Romans 12 and 1 Corinthisans, chapters 12, 13, and 14 to see if you have any of the gifts and talents mentioned there. Ask God to show you where you are gifted and how you can use those gifts to better serve Him.
3) Build intimacy with Christ. As you walk day after day with Jesus, you become a more credible witness of Christ to those around you. You have heard it said that when two people are married for an incredibley long time that they begin to look and act like their spouse...The same is true of us. The more intimate our relationship with Christ, the more we begin to look, speak, and act like Him. We better reflect Jesus when we spend more time in His presence.
4) Follow Jesus' example. Jesus led his disciples by the examples He set for them. What they did in reaching others for Christ, they learned from Jesus himself. Jesus told his disciples, "Follow me". We can do the same by following the examples Jesus set.
5) Go! At the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus tells the disciples, "All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." We cannot win the prize of Christ if we are not willing to get up and take that first step forward.
So, what are you waiting for? Get up and go. Step out into the harvest field...just remember, "them taters have eyes!"
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