Thursday 5 Aug 2021

August 5: Matthew 16:13-16
 
Key Verse: Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
 
Devotion:
How many different names have you been called because you said you were a Christian? I can think of quite a few but whatever name people come up with, I can always see the positive side rather than the negative side they think they are dishing out. I think the only one which I did not like over all the years has been when someone said I had ‘got religion’ because I know my relationship with God is not about religion!
 
When Jesus was wandering round with His disciples, there were many different names He was being called, none of which stuck because they were not the truth. As long as we can see the truth and cling to that truth, we will rise above any name calling.
 
But there is another side to the coin here. People can call us names because of the things we do, things which are not very Christian or how we should be behaving in our walk with Christ. The names the people were coming up for Jesus, or their ideas about who He was were mostly based on religion and not on knowing Him. As soon as people got to know Christ, their relationship grew and they would know who He is.
 
Our goal should be to show people who Jesus is and what our relationship is with Him. If we can get called names which reflect Christ or our relationship with Him, then we have shown people the true Christ; the Christ who has always been there, but the Christ who has been hidden by people who just don’t know Him yet. Let’s make a difference today and show people who Christ is!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you mind being called a Christian?
 
Will you try to show the true Christ through your actions?