Living Like Jesus Matters

“In this new life…Christ is all that matters…” (Colossians 3:11 NLT)

The title of one of the books I’m currently reading is Person of Interest, Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible. It’s written by J. Warner Wallace “America’s foremost cold case Detective.”

In Warner’s words: “God didn’t matter to me because I didn’t think He existed, and the Bible didn’t matter to me because I didn’t think it reported anything true.” What changed his mind? He reluctantly attended church with his wife and some friends and heard a Pastor speak about Jesus as though He mattered. That set him on a course to investigate “the claims of the Gospels using every tool I possessed as a detective.” His investigation led him to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

It caused me to search my own heart and ask myself: “Am I living like Jesus matters? In my encounters with neighbors, people at the grocery, how I drive, in my home, in my relationship with my kids, am I living like Jesus matters?” It’s a scary thought to realize how closely people watch our lives.

When I was pastoring a small church in Kentucky, I went door to door in my neighborhood to meet my neighbors and to invite them to church. One man who lived right behind the church said: “I’ve noticed there have been more cars in the parking lot lately.” Just a seeming small observation, but it caused me to wonder – how many more neighbors are “watching” us and what conclusions are they drawing from what they see?

Do you understand that if you claim to know Jesus, people are watching you? They want to know if this Jesus of the Bible is real and if He is, how can they get to know Him? You may want to ask yourself some of the questions I’ve been asking myself.

• Is the quality of my loving and living consistent regardless of where I am or who I’m with?
• Am I hesitant to bring up Jesus for fear the person with whom I’m speaking has seen me doing or saying something I shouldn’t have been doing or saying?
• Can the people closest to me – my wife, kids, people with whom I work, serve or worship, my neighbors – attest to my consistent walk with Jesus?
• Is my heart in tune with my conviction that Jesus is ALL THAT MATTERS?

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:11: In this new life (as a believer in Jesus), it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile (non-Jew), circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us (as believers in Him).” (NLT)

In the busy, hurried pace of our lives, Jesus matters! When our kids are off the wall and our spouse comes home upset, Jesus matters! When the money runs out and there’s still a lot of month left, Jesus matters! When the doctor’s report isn’t what you expected, Jesus matters! When you get let go from your job, Jesus matters! When your “walk” isn’t matching your “talk,” Jesus matters! When you have all that money can buy, yet you still feel empty, Jesus matters! When your heart aches for the souls of your family and friends, Jesus matters! When you stand before the Judge of all the earth, at the end of your life, Jesus is ALL that will matter!

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” If Jesus truly is all that matters to you, then His Kingdom has to be paramount in your life. We’ll begin to look at what that means tomorrow.

Blessings, Ed 😊