Jesus First, Always:
Our primary goal is to reflect Jesus in all that we do so that others might be drawn closer to Him.
(Mission FOCUS)
Board Devotional - Week 7
by Pastor Heidi Jackson
Devotional Reading: Ephesians 5: 1-2
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” –Ephesians 5:1-2 [CSB]
I recently went to run an errand. I was tired and I wanted to go into the establishment, complete the task at hand, and go home. I had on a hat, sunglasses, and a look on my face that was probably not very approachable. As I went about my task, I wasn’t necessarily unkind, but I can only imagine that my tired demeanor didn’t send out the warmest of messages to the people whose livelihoods were wrapped up in my missional errand. When I was done and began to drive home, I wondered why I hadn’t been more friendly to those I had encountered? Perhaps someone who had been in my presence could have used a smile or an encouraging word. Yet I had chosen to go through my errand with a disguise, completed only by my sour look instead. As I continued my drive home, my self-reflection grew, and so did its weight. I had been a poor reflection of Christ, and I knew it. But more importantly, I knew why. I hadn’t spent any meaningful time with Christ that day, and it had quietly shown up in my reflection.
Our Reflection
We’re all familiar with a mirror. It’s the most common source of reflection in the western world. In fact, most people seek it out on a regular basis, before they go about their day. A standard mirror always tells the truth. It will show the crust in your eye, the spinach in your teeth and the mascara that you accidentally rubbed all across your face.
So, what’s the definition of a mirror and how does it work? I’m so glad you asked…
A mirror is a reflective surface, typically made of glass coated with a metal amalgam that reflects a clear image. Most simply, it works because the atoms inside it catch light and throw it back. But for it to work, the atoms have to throw the light back at the same angle at which they receive it.
As I think of reflections, I am reminded of the passage in scripture (Exodus 34: 29-35) depicting the Israelites’ fear of coming near to Moses shortly after Moses had been in the presence of God. Their fear was so great that Moses began to wear a veil anytime he was around them. Why? Because Moses’ face had caught the light of God and had unknowingly become a mirror, reflecting back God’s supernatural radiance and light on all that He encountered.
This reflective property wasn’t only meant to be exclusive to Moses. We are all called to be God’s mirror too. When we grow closer to Christ, we absorb His light and become a reflective surface that can’t help but reflect His light on every person we encounter. However, to be a clear reflection of Jesus, we have to throw His light back in the same way that we receive it. But if we don’t receive it, how can we reflect it?
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” – Ephesians 5:1-2 [CSB]
The scriptures tell us to walk in love, as Christ loved us. That every step we take should reflect the love of our master, Jesus Christ. We have no time to be incognito. To walk into dwellings and think that our reflection of Him doesn’t matter. But in order to share His light, we must come into contact with His light. Jesus must be first always.
Why Does this Matter to Our Church?
Unfortunately, had I been wearing a t-shirt with my church’s name on it that day, I fear that my sour demeanor wouldn’t have made such a great appeal for anyone to want to come to my church. Thankfully we serve a forgiving God who knows that we are all human, and much like me, He knows that we are going to have our moments and mess up. But make no mistake, how we conduct ourselves in this world really does matter to our fellow man, woman and child. If our primary goal is truly to reflect Jesus in all we do so that others might be drawn closer to Him…then each of us must ask ourselves what we are reflecting on a daily basis.
- Is it a life void of connection with Christ?
- Are our faces dull and dim? Or do they glow?
- Do we reflect Christ to our families, friends, and random strangers?
- Are people magnetized to our church family because of our reflection of Christ? Or are they leaving our church because they see a mis-reflection of Him in us?
If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed as you ask yourself these questions, take heart. Reflecting is not another something that we have to do. When we seek Jesus first, when we encounter the one, true, living God, when we connect with Him daily and abide in Him, we can’t help but to also reflect His light. A mirror doesn’t choose to reflect, it just reflects what it encounters. I pray that each of you encounter Jesus first today and that His reflection begins to shine through your life and into the lives of others.