What kind of a sign are you?

[bluidkiti]

Meditation
Luke 11:29-32

Readings

"This generation . . . seeks a sign." (Luke 11:29)

The world is constantly looking for signs of God—and people are constantly reading each other to see what kind of “signs” they are. They notice when someone is generous and honest, instead of selfish and deceitful. They notice when someone is joyful, peaceful, or enthusiastic instead of angry, discontented, or apathetic. In short, people are attracted to those who aren’t stuck on themselves and don’t just “go with the flow.”

What kind of a sign are you? Do you point people to Jesus through your friendliness, your generosity, or your patience? Are you a sign of the coming kingdom of God through your detachment from the things of this world? It doesn’t take much to point people in the right direction. And it certainly shouldn’t be something you force upon yourself. It’s usually through the way you live your everyday life that people pick up the clues about what is important to you.

It’s easy to lose sight of the way our lives affect other people, but the truth of the matter is that we are more powerful than we think. Jesus said that “something greater” than King Solomon was present in him (Luke 11:31). And we can make a similar statement about ourselves. Of course, none of us is the Son of God! But each of us is a temple of the Spirit of God. Each of us is an ambassador of heaven. What could be a greater sign of the kingdom of God than the witness of people who forgive, love, and serve?

Does this seem impossible? Think again—it’s God’s work in you, not yours! Your Father, the creator of heaven and earth, is also the re-creator of your heart and mind. He will make you into a sign of his kingdom as his plans become your plans. He will make you a vessel of his divine life as you take small steps of faith and trust every day. So rejoice that God can use you to shine his light into a world that is blinded by confusion and darkness. Although we are “earthen vessels,” we are also his greatest treasure! (2 Corinthians 4:7).

“Holy Spirit, help me to decrease, while you increase! Conform me to the life of Jesus, and to his sacrifice and suffering, that I might be a sign of his love to everyone I meet!”

Romans 1:1-7; Psalm 98:1-4
--Online Christian Devotion