Called to be the face of God
Pastor Alice Warness
If you had lived in Jesus' time, it would have been your privilege to witness His miracles and acts of goodness. It would have been easy to see the "face of God" because of Jesus' physical presence.
Jesus is still present in the world today. We see the face of God in the acts of everyday Christians as they go about their daily lives. He is present in your life whether you acknowledge Him or not.
God is there when you talk to the Walmart cashier about her day instead of treating her like a person of lower intelligence. He is there when you have a friendly chat with a waitress at a restaurant instead of sending your food back one or two times.
God's love comes through when you stop long enough to hold a door open for a busy mom or return someone's cart to the store. Teachers demonstrate God's love when they stop to listen to a child who wants to tell them a story in the middle of class.
Doctors show God's love when they treat patients with respect instead of acting like arrogant beings with superior knowledge. Jesus taught with gentleness, and we should too.
Small Godly acts have a tremendous impact on the recipients as well as the bystanders that are present. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt says, acts of kindness are a "manifestation of humanity's higher nature and brings a renewed faith in the sheer goodness which human beings are often capable of."
When you see an act of kindness, you are motivated to be kind yourself. It is like paying it forward.
As Christians we are the face of God to the world. What we do, say, buy, read, and sell matters. Our witness to the world can attract others to Jesus or repel them forever.
Jesus was nice to everyone. Matthew 9:11 says, "When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus heard the question and told them that "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Christians are the righteous. We already know who God is and what His love means. It doesn't matter if you are a new Christian just starting your faith journey or if you have known God for many years.
You have something to give to others that will lead them to God. My grandmother always told me that you show God's love by making everyone, educated or not, feel important and at ease. I still live by that rule today.
It is our job to follow the example Jesus set and treat all people with respect. We call others to Jesus with our love and compassion as we go about our lives.
It doesn't matter what you do for a living or where you live. Let God's love shine through you and remember Church isn't the only place we need to act like God's people.
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