Do People Want What You Have?
Imagine for a minute a world without movie advertising . . . no previews or trailers . . . no social media posts . . . no billboards or posters. Just the name of the movie and showings listed in the newspaper or on a website.
Would we still go to the movies? Would we spend our hard-earned money on the chance of seeing a good movie? Probably not.
That’s why movie trailers exist. The combination of music, a few action-packed or super funny scenes, and a voiceover from a guy with a really cool voice entices us to want more. They give us a glimpse of the best scenes, so we’ll want to watch the whole thing.
Our lives have the opportunity to operate in a similar way, as a preview of a much bigger picture . . . the picture of God’s redemptive plan for the world. As Jesus-followers, people are watching us to see if they want what we have . . . at home, at work, at church, on social media . . . in ordinary, everyday situations. We should constantly be asking ourselves questions like these . . .
- Am I honoring my wife in front of my kids or in public?
- How am I acting at my kids sporting events? (I’m not the only one to get a warning for yelling at officials, right?)
- Am I looking the people I walk by in the eye and treating them as God’s beloved?
- How am I treating the customer service agent helping me in a store or on the phone?
In his latest book, The Magnificent Journey, author James Bryan Smith (who spoke at last year’s Mentor Summit) wrote . . .
“The world is waiting to see Christians live with the joy of Jesus. Once they see it, they will want it. In addition to making our lives vibrant, joy is our most effective means of evangelism.”
If we are going to reflect the joy of Jesus in the world today, we have to be with Jesus. When we spend time with Him, our lives will overflow with . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. And when we are living out those fruits of the Spirit, others will want to know Who we have been with and how they can meet Him.
Scripture: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13 – bold mine)
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Responses (9)
Amen brother! Well done!!!
Thanks Marcus! Looking forward to seeing you at the Mentor Summit in March.
Thank you for this message its one we all need to be conscious of until our christlikeness flows through us without our consciousness, to His glory!
RT, jr
Thanks for reading and commenting Reyes! I am working on this every day as well. It’s a battle but worth the fight.
Living that way would certainly make becoming a Christian more interesting for our children and neighbors…. Great read. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks Cole! Glad to know it made you think.
I know I’m not a guy, but I love mentoring which is why I subscribed to your blog a while ago. I’m glad I read through this post when it came to my email. As you nicely described in your article, we are like the Jesus that people can see. We are His representatives walking this Earth on His behalf. What we do and don’t do, the things we say and don’t say… they scream out to a watching world that THIS is what Christ-followers and what God is all about. I want to be a good (accurate) representative of Christ (as best as I can with God’s help). As a person that is the only adult believer in my family, I learned this first hand. I cannot convince my husband, for instance, that God is real and that He actually cares for you and has provided for you all this time but HOW I live out my entire life and the growth that my husband has seen in me and with how I spend my time and in the respect that I try to show him as my partner speaks volumes. I pray that we who trust in the Lord as our Savior would be more cognizant of our influences (good and bad) within our circles and this watching world.
On another note, is there a geared towards females focused site that you would recommend that is similarly focused as yours (talks about discipleship, leadership/influence within our roles, practical living out of the gospel etc.)?
Thank you!
Sejana – Thanks for reading. For a more intentional women’s mentoring process that closely follows our you should take a look at Titus 2 . I think you will find it has what you are looking for.
Hi. I am reading this as part of Chuck Lawless’s Saturday Suggestions for February 2nd (I’m behind in reading my emails! ). You have made very good points and I can (and do) flip it for the female mind, but I will also read Titus 2 as you suggested to the above writer. My question is this: I live alone, so other than God and occasionally some family member or friends, I do not see my faults (i.e., where I need correction in my walk with the Lord). I am, on the whole, a serious person unless I am one to one and feel loose enough to joke around. I believe I am showing peace and love to my family and neighbors, but I don’t know what it means to express joy. Because of my lack of sight in my right eye (due to a brain aneurysm ), I tend to walk very carefully and have to concentrate where I walk and what’s going on around me; as a result, I look very serious and probably unapproachable, so my question again how do I express joy when I walk or hang out? Thank you for this article.