Luke 4:22-24 NLT
Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
The hardest people to reach will be those closets to us.
After all, they are the ones who know us the best; they’ve seen us in action. They have seen us start and stop so many programs; they can’t keep track of them anymore.
So in there minds, they been here and done that.
So what is it that will bring them to know this time it is different?
Matthew 12:46-50 NLT
As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.” Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
His family came looking for Him because they thought He had lost it. They knew what was best for Him.
Does my life look so different to my family that they circle together and think I’m insane?
Here’s the deal, with a life submitted to God, our lives will be different.
If no one notices the change in my life, something is off, and I need to bring that immediately to God.
If I were in a line up in the police station and a person was asked to identify the Christian in the group, would my actions, thoughts, and attitudes be so different from those around me, they couldn’t help but point at me?
If not, I need to bring this to God!
In the end, the brothers of Jesus, James, and Jude came to know Him as their Lord and Savior and wrote two of the most profound epistles in the Bible.
James’s focus was on how a life saved by faith in Jesus will lead to goods works, and the absence of good works needs to be looked at very seriously in the life of a believer.
The focus of Jude’s epistle was on the coming of false teachers and the need to stay true to the true gospel.
So how do we convince those directly around us?
We start to let the Word of God change our lives. Period.
These are the people who will be watching us the most and will be brought around by the actual change in our lives.
When did the brothers of Jesus come around?
They came around when after hearing Him talk about dying for our sins over and over, seeing Him die on the cross, seeing Him buried, they were convinced when they saw Him after He died, walking around.
His walk matched His talk, not that for Jesus, His walk didn’t match His talk before He died, but it takes a lot more to convince those closest to us, brothers, sisters, friends, and co-workers.
People we don’t know will be more inclined to believe what comes out of our mouths until we act contrary to what we say.
But those closest to us will not be convinced by what we say until what say lines up with what we do.
This is natural and normal and requires a lot of patience on our end, and those closest to us will challenge us a lot, so “Stand Firm.”
Heavenly Father, let my walk match my talk.
Help me remain faithful to Your Word, let Your Word shape and change my life.
Let those around me see You in my words, attitude, and, most importantly, my actions.
Thank You for Your faithful efforts and for shaping my mind that continues to change my actions.
I am thankful for the opportunity that You give me to serve those around me.
In the righteous name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen !! 🙏❤️
