Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
“Hey, Hon, see that person over there? Who does that look like?”
Do you ever do that with your spouse or other friend? You see someone and they remind you of a movie star, other famous person, or perhaps a family member or friend, and you ask, “Hey, Hon, see that guy (girl) over there? Who does he/she look like? My wife and I play that game occasionally and about half the time we both see the similarities and guess the person’s look-alike correctly.
Ever ask this question: “Why are we here on the planet?” The short answer to this question is a statement I have heard many times over the years; namely, “To bring glory to God.” And that is the right answer for sure! But how do we do that? What does that look like? Or maybe a better question is “Who does that look like?”
Think with me about a famous athlete or performer. I can still remember the amazing talent and skills of Michael Jordan, the famous Chicago Bulls basketball player. You can play this little game with anyone you wish in any extraordinary role they played. Use your imagination with me and suppose I had the ability to open my body and have Michael Jordan step inside me and play basketball with all of his moves and abilities but in my own body.
I know this sounds weird but humor me. (You might choose a singer, star, or other celebrity.)
What if I got to play in a basketball game having Michael Jordan playing the game with his skills through my body? How foolish would it be for me to begin arguing with Michael, second guessing his decisions, and trying to get him to quit controlling me, so that I could play the game my way with my own inferior skills? That would be truly silly, especially if I was in a game of real consequence where the outcome mattered.
In a similar way, now that I am a follower of Jesus Christ and have His Holy Spirit living in me, how foolish is it for me to want to live my life with my old, weak skills and thoughts, when I have the Savior of the world, my Lord Jesus, actually living His life in me and through me. What if I got really good at giving up control to Jesus, allowing His fruit to come through my life into yours, my wife’s, my family/s, my friends’, my neighbors’,…you get the idea, They may look at me and say, “Who does Dave live like?” Oh, yeah, he’s living like Jesus, loving like Jesus. His life reminds me of Jesus’ life.” Not perfectly, of course.
Maybe then I could explain how Jesus changed me.
When people look at you and me and observe our lives, wouldn’t it be great if they saw and recognized that God controls our lives in the same way He did His own Son while Jesus walked the earth? People saw the Father through the Son. Let’s show them Jesus, allowing Him to control our thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions rather than trying to second guess His wisdom and power by telling Him that we can do it better than He. In that way the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) will flow from our lives.
And for sure, this is no game. As Toby Mac sings, “This is not a test. This is the real thing.” Futures, eternity, and lives rest on how clearly we communicate the love of Jesus to those in this world who desperately need to observe a clear example of Jesus. Everyone needs to see a clear example of Jesus’ life and love, don’t they?
I did not say a flawless example of Jesus, did I? We wish we could.
Instead of being confused about our role in life and our true identity, let’s adopt what Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Our role is a peacemaker in this world not a troublemaker or sideline-taker.
Our identity is a “child of God” and that doesn’t change,, even if a pandemic hits and our job goes away. Whether we are rich or poor, employer or employee, one race or another, we are loved and wanted by God our Father and will by His grace remain a part of His forever family.
In Jesus Christ, our role is clear and our identity is settled. To bring glory to God is no more complicated than living our life with Jesus Christ calling all the shots. He revealed His Father’s character. We are to live out Jesus’ life under the guidance of Holy Spirit revealing God’s true character of love and holiness.