‘I have come that they may have life…abundantly.’ John
10:10
Here are some questions you should ask yourself
regularly: 1) Am I approachable? Speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus said, ‘They love the place of honour…they love to…have men call them “Rabbi”’ (Matthew 23:6-7 NIVUK 1984 Edition). In Jesus’ day some rabbis had the idea that true spirituality required you to distance yourself from people. Ironically, the only Rabbi the outcasts could touch turned out to be God Himself. Jesus was the most approachable person they’d ever met.
2) Am I gracious? John Ortberg writes: ‘As soon as we
start to pursue virtue, we begin to wonder why others aren’t as virtuous as we
are. It reminds us of the reply Homer Simpson’s neighbours gave when Homer
asked them where they’d been: “We went to a Christian camp; we were learning
how to be more judgmental.” Have you been to that camp? Does a little voice
inside you categorise people: “This one’s needy and dependent - stay away. That
one’s bright and has much to offer - try to connect.” Why do we constantly find
ourselves rating people, as though we were in some kind of contest?’
3) Am I real? A little boy in Sunday school knew the kind
of answer he was supposed to give, so when the teacher asked, ‘What’s brown,
furry, has a bushy tail and stores up nuts?’ He muttered, ‘I guess the right
answer is Jesus - but it sounds like a squirrel to me!’ Often we try to say
spiritual-sounding things to impress people, when they haven’t a clue what we are
talking about. So let’s be real with ourselves - and others!
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