‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ (v16) Matthew 5:13–16
Teresa of Avila wrote in the sixteenth century, ’Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours… Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.’
Whatever our location, our actions speak loudly of who we are and the values we pursue. What we discover in God’s Word often flies in the face of basic human instinct.
When a young Christian, the meaning of J.O.Y. was explained as putting Jesus first, Others in between and Yourself last. God invites us to approach life differently to the common wisdom generated from within a secular and material world.
God’s invitation is for us to live every day as Christ’s ambassadors. Others observe and measure Jesus in our lives by the way we approach life; the good and the bad times.
When plunged into the role of carer for my wife, I was unprepared and I found it an unwelcome interruption in our life plan. Could I find Jesus within it?
Was I willing to search for J.O.Y. in my own anger and confusion? It is always less about what I say I believe, and everything to do with how what I say I believe that shapes my perspective on life and my activities throughout my lifetime. It is the essence of our responsibility in representing God’s truth to a fallen world.
RELATED SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Prov. 6:20–24; Isa. 42:1–9; John 8:12–20; 9:1–5.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Reflect upon your motivations across the different aspects of your life. Are they built upon J.O.Y?
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, I dedicate my hands, my feet and my eyes to You. May I live to do Your will and reveal the character of God’s kingdom in all things. Amen.’
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