People watching can certainly be entertaining. You get to see all kinds of clothes, hairstyles and unique personalities. Life truly is colorful and like a big piece of art. Sometimes though, people watching can be very sobering. You realize that in interactions with friends, family and even total strangers, people are deeply troubled. You see, everything we do, everything we say, and pretty much everything about us is on display for others to absorb. Even if no one else is around, the Lord Himself is tuned in to your life. Our life is our testimony. What we believe about life filters through to every circumstance we face. Our beliefs affect the quality of our relationships, our job performances and even how we view the world we live in.
For those of us that have stepped over that line of faith, the Bible says, So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT) I’ve thought about this many times. An ambassador is a person who acts as a representative. In our case, we’re representing Christ. Not just our words, but our actions and motives represent what we truly believe. Sometimes I have to look in the mirror of His word and ask myself how I’m doing in these areas. Does my life reflect the very One I claim to believe in? Thank God for His wonderful grace! I certainly don’t do Him the justice He is worthy of. But for whatever reason, He works through flawed people. Actually, that’s all He has to pick from.
God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus (Acts of the Apostles 4:13 NLT). You know it’s Him. It has to be. That’s how He receives glory. We don’t possess in and of ourselves the power to do the things He’s doing through us. So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’” says the Lord Almighty (Zechariah 4:6 NIV). God’s Spirit is the game changer! The Spirit of God is the power source. The only thing required of us is obedience. The Lord does the rest. So when you feel a little anxious about sharing your faith, remember, God is working through you. He knows exactly what people need to see and hear. You just be obedient and leave everything up to Jesus! You absolutely will not fail Him by letting Him lead the way to begin with. Life doesn’t happen by chance anyway. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives (Psalms 37:23 NLT). He’s put you where you need to be and He’s handling the details.
People everywhere are looking for love, acceptance and truth. We, as children of God, have been given all of these things freely. We absolutely did nothing to earn any of it. Wouldn’t it be nice to extend the same grace to others that we’ve been given? This is the life saving power that hurting people are in desperate need of. We may not have all the answers but we know the One who does. The enemy wants to keep people bound up in hopelessness. Jesus wants to set them free! He wants to use us in the process. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony (Revelation 12:11 NLT). What do you possibly have to lose by offering hope and kindness to people? Not a thing and Christ has everything to gain! Go ahead. Let Jesus shine through you. Testify!
Today’s guest writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.
