Demonstrating Jesus....

Have you ever had someone do something to you that was completely unexpected? When you read a sentence like that you can take it one of two ways. Your mind can go to a time when someone really hurt you in a way you never expected, or you can go to a time when someone did something amazing for you that you didn't expect. But I would bet that if we really put some thought to it, it's the times when you received something good that you didn't expect that stand out the most. Yes, those painful memories do sting, but the joy that comes from thinking of a time when an unexpected great thing happened, well they can bring a smile to your face every time you think about them.
So how many times have you yourself reacted in a way that someone least expected? Shamefully I'm sure we have a negative answer to that question too, but today I want to focus on the positive. How many times did you allow Jesus to give you the strength to not treat someone the way (in our human minds) we thought they deserved to be treated? Ever made a mistake while driving that was a complete accident, and it caused another driver to become very upset? Ever received their hash words through your window or the famous finger gesture letting you know just how upset you made them? You had 2 choices in that moment, revenge, or demonstrate Jesus.
There are many times throughout our day that we will be given the choice to do the unexpected. It might be to calm down an angry customer at your job, it might be to defuse a fight with a friend or family member, or it might be to let something slide and show someone grace when they completely expect you to give them "what they deserve". And each time we choose the correct response, the Godly response, we demonstrate Jesus. Sure it is great to tell people about Jesus, but how much louder are our actions when we can show people Jesus?
I know it might sound crazy, but what if the reaction of ticking someone off while driving was you rolling down your window and saying "sorry, that was totally my fault. I didn't mean to cut you off...have a great day". How much could that one sentence change the other person's day? They story they told at work that morning could go from "this jerk cut me off..." to "you are not going to believe how this person apologized to me this morning...". It really is a choice. And not only can it change the way the receiving party feels, but it can change you. To take away the chance for the enemy to get you act in an ungodly way, to take away his chance to follow that up with guilt and shame, and to give God a chance to show you how good it does feel to make the right choice. Not to mention, you have demonstrated Jesus to someone else. And you may never know the effects that has on them. And to be honest, we can't worry about it either. We can't base how we will handle that the next time by how the person reacted to us. Sure, you might show someone grace and they may still show you anger. You might speak kind words and receive harsh ones in return. Any time we choose the right way, we just have to know we did the right thing. We can't expect, or base it on what we receive back. The important part is that God saw you honor Him. He saw the motive of your heart, and He is the one who will bless you for it.
I can't even imagine the amount of times God gives us in one day to represent and demonstrate Him. Are we gong to get them right every single time, probably not. But is that a reason to not try, absolutely not. We thank God for the times that we received help from the Holy Spirit in our time of need, and we ask God to forgive us for the times we slipped up. Then we humbly ask for His correction and direction in the future.
I want to close today's blog with this scripture. We have to remember that every choice we make for God has to be driven by love....love for Him, and love for others...but always LOVE.
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

God, thank You for all the chances we get to represent you and demonstrate Jesus to others. The fact that You allow us to show others Your goodness is a privilege, and may we never forget that. Please Holy Spirit help us in our time of need when the enemy is trying to push out buttons, and give us the strength to use love as our motivation to make the right choice. In Jesus name, Amen.