Pointing the Way

John 1 6-8
There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

John is writing about John the Baptist, who we are taught was the forerunner of Jesus. He was sent to prepare the way for Jesus to come later.
Aren't we all forerunners of Jesus today. We should be preparing people to hear the message of salvation. We should be tenderizing hearts by our behavior and kindness toward others. What an honor. I always thought John the Baptist had a very important job, but now I realize that I have that same job. When I encounter people who are not Christians, I should be preparing them to hear the message of salvation. If my behavior is less than Christlike, I am not bearing witness to the life-changing experience that I should be.
As I look back over my life, I remember so many events that I fell short in my responsibility to be a good witness. I'm so grateful that God is patient because He certainly could have given up on me so many times.
When people that I have encountered in the past hear the message of salvation, I hope they can think back to their relationship with me and see a glimpse of Jesus in my behavior.
One consistent prayer of mine is that my family members come into contact with Christians who represent Jesus well. I hate to hear them criticize a co-worker, friend, acquaintance who professes Christ but doesn't represent Him well.
I feel an awesome responsibility to represent Christ in my grief. Without my faith in God and my belief that Jason is in heaven, life would be hopeless right now.
Christmas Eve we went to church and heard a rather unusual message. I guess I expected a message about love, peace, joy, etc.--traditional Christmas topics. Instead the preacher told of unimaginable horrors in our world today. He believes they are signs of the end and included that in his sermon. I don't really like that kind of preaching, but if God gave him the message, who am I to criticize. The thing is, when he said the end is near, I responded differently than I have to that message in the past. I felt relief that it might not be so long before I see Jason. That is a selfish attitude because too many people have not accepted Jesus, so I should be asking God to give more time.