Have you ever had someone come up to you and ask, "Excuse me, are you Steve?"
No? Hmm, I guess that would be odd if you were a girl.
So let me ask... have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
This is really an identity question, isn't it? Here's the thing, I've done this. I've wandered around a Starbucks ready for an interview and started asking strangers if they were the person that I was supposed to meet. In fact, I've just had this happen to me too in the past few days... and at a Starbucks! I have been mistaken for someone else.
This is really an identity question, isn't it? Here's the thing, I've done this. I've wandered around a Starbucks ready for an interview and started asking strangers if they were the person that I was supposed to meet. In fact, I've just had this happen to me too in the past few days... and at a Starbucks! I have been mistaken for someone else.
We make millions of decisions each day. Some of them seem insignificant. While others change the trajectory of our lives.
Our decisions inform others of who we are and what we value most in life.
What are our decisions saying about us? If someone only observed our lives and the decisions that we make in a day, what would they say we value most?
Listen to how we communicate it...
"Actions speak louder than words."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Put your money where your mouth is."
"As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do." -Andrew Carnegie
Well, you get the idea. The decisions that we make and the actions that we live out are visible proof of what is deeply rooted in our hearts.
So here's THE question. Based on our decisions and actions...
Would we be mistaken for Jesus?
What are our decisions saying about us? Would someone see our actions and be compelled to ask us why we do what we do? Do we live lives that demand a Gospel explanation because no other explanation would make sense?
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:15-16, NLT
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. 1 Peter 2:11-13, NLT
I want my identity to be mistaken because of my decisions and actions. I want to be mistaken for Jesus.