When
asked by the disciples of John the Baptist whether He were the one they had
been waiting for, Jesus did not give a straightforward answer. He simply pointed to the things He had done
and left it for them to decide for themselves.
Then He said something strange. “And
blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Who
could be offended by the healing of people or the raising of the dead? Apparently Jesus could see into our lives
today, for a great many of us seem offended by Him and His works. We would not say we are offended, but we
certainly are hesitant to share the things He has done in our lives and the
lives of others. We will tell a friend
about a fifty cents off coupon, but we hold back on talking about Jesus for
fear of…what do we say? Offending
someone. We are the ones who are
offended by Jesus when we think anything about Him might be offensive to
someone else.
What
part of the life and teaching of Jesus most offends you? To put it another way, what part of the life
and teaching of Jesus are you most hesitant to share with others? We need to ask God to heal our hearts of
their fear so they can embrace the courage He gives us to do His will.
Father, this is difficult to admit, but there are certain things about
Jesus that I am hesitant to share with those around me. I confess that I worry about how I will be
heard and what the reaction of my friends will be. Heal me of this fear and fill me with the strength
of Your Holy Spirit. I want to be an
ambassador for Christ. In the name of
Him Who faced not just fear but death for me, amen.Copyright © 2013 by Steven R. Perkins
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