By Oke Chinye
Read: MATHEW 16:13-20
Meditation verse:
“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mathew 16:15)
As you interact with people daily, they form impressions about you which inform
who they think you are. Their opinions – which are entirely dependent on their
interpretations of what you say and do – may not necessarily be a true
representation of who you are.
Whilst Jesus was on earth, He ate with sinners, visited the home of a tax
collector, ate without washing His hands, healed on the Sabbath and allowed a
former prostitute to anoint His feet. To Jesus, these were all acts of love- His way
of saying “I do not condemn but love you”. However, the pious Pharisees and
Sadducees saw things differently. Based on their own interpretations, they
called Jesus a wine bibber, breaker of sabbath laws and a friend of sinners and
outcasts. They even accused Him of heresy when He said He was the son of God.
Jesus was not distracted by their accusations. He knew who He was and
remained focused on the task at hand.
If you are adversely affected by what others say of you or get distracted, you are
undermining your progress and doing yourself a huge disfavor. The bible says in
Ecclesiastes 7:21, “do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your
servant cursing you”. If Jesus was unfairly and wrongly accused, why do you
suppose you will not be spoken ill of?
When Jesus wanted to know the truth about what others thought, He asked
those closest to Him; His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”. If you truly
desire to know what others think of you, ask those closest to you and they will
tell you, warts and all. But be sure to ask those whose judgement you trust.
Nothing means anything except the meaning we give to it, and the meaning we
give to things differs based on our lens of interpretation. Do yourself a favor and
stop whining over what others think about you. You cannot be the most popular
person on earth. Instead, focus on what God wants you to do. Let Jesus’ example
encourage you today.
IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Dcns Oke Chinye, Founder, Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM)
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