Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 84

March 25;       2 Thessalonians 1:12;       84/260(II);       ‘All By Grace’

2 Thessalonians 1:12 Then everyone will be praising the name of the Lord Jesus Christ because of the results they see in you; and your greatest glory will be that you belong to him. The tender mercy of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ has made all this possible for you.   TLB

We have the great honor to represent the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth.  You may say that there is persecution from the lost when we are Christians.  That is true to some extent.  The reality though is that when we are not ashamed of being a Christian, when we treat everyone with the love Jesus treats us with and when we sincerely offer to pray for others and share God’s Word with them, we are overwhelmingly respected.  Extending kindness to those who may not be kind.  Sharing scriptures that help those going through things.  Praying for someone and seeing your prayer answered for them, all of these things bring glory and honor to Jesus.  It has been said that people do not reject Jesus, they reject those who represent Jesus.  This never need be the case.  If we, in humility, let them see Jesus in our treatment of them, hear Jesus in the Word of God we share with them, experience Jesus in the powerful prayers we pray for them, our Lord Jesus will get the glory because of us.  Our great glory will be since we are Christians and belong to the Lord, we have the honor to represent Jesus on the earth.  ‘Tender mercy’ should really be translated ‘grace.’  God’s grace, His unmerited favor, enables us to represent Jesus in a manner that brings honor to Jesus and us.  We are saved by His grace.  We stand strong by grace.  We prosper by His grace.  We minister in power by grace.  In reality, the grace of the Lord cannot make you serve Him and represent Him well, but once the decision is made that you will represent Jesus as a minister of reconciliation His grace brings Him glory and identifies you.