Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
I got this decoration from a sweet coworker/friend as a Case Manager Appreciation gift. She said when she saw it she knew she had to get it for me, because it fit me so perfectly. After all, I’m most recognizable with a coffee cup in my hand. But what touched me most about this gift was the first part: “and Jesus in her heart.” I do love Jesus, and my love for Him should shine through in everything I do. My love for Jesus is actually what people should recognize me by. But do they?
I see that plaque every day and I think every day “does anyone see Jesus in me?” Every word I speak, every action I commit, every thought I think, should all point back to Jesus. I fail at this daily, I know I do. And that is where grace comes in, but that’s another topic for another day.
So again, do others see Jesus in me? This is a question I ask myself daily now, not because I doubt that Jesus is shining through me. I know if I surrender and submit to the Lord, He will shine through. I ask myself this question because I so want others to see Jesus in me. And I want to give the glory and praise for that right back to God (see again Matthew 5:16).
John 13:35 says “By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This is where Jesus shines through us, if have sincere love in our hearts for one another. And we know, this love can only come from the Father’s love for us.
My sincere prayer is that above all, Jesus shines through me. The more I love Him, the more I will love others, and the more I love others, the more Jesus will shine through me, all glory and praise to Him.
I pray that I am most recognizable not by the coffee cup in my hand, but by the love of Jesus that is spilling out of me.
Graceful Living 