“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).
Matt and I were attending the Leadership Summit conference at Willow Creek Church in Chicago. There were around 14,000 leaders who packed out the worship center at Willow Creek. At every break, there was a mad dash for the restrooms on campus.
As soon as the talk was done, Matt and I went to the restroom. There was already a line that was around fifty men deep. I got done with my business and waited for Matt outside the restroom. But he was taking much longer so I went back in to make sure he was okay. When I walked in the restroom, I realized why Matt was taking such a long time. He was wiping down the excess water on the sinks and picking up trash that was around the trash bin.
So, I asked him, “Matt, what are you doing?”
And, I’ll never forget what he told me. He said, “I want to make sure that every place I show up, it’s better because Jesus shows up everywhere I am.”
Matt is like that. What you need to know is that Matt is a business guy. And he was schooling this pastor guy in what it means to shine Christ’s light.
The life you and I live either demonstrates the glory of Christ or it muddies Christ’s glory. Paul tells the Corinthians that they are walking Bibles, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Either they were demonstrating how amazing and awesome our God is through their lives, or they were making the reality of Christ terribly cloudy and muddied.
Friends, a non-Christian will never pick up a Bible on their own to seek Christ. But, they see you all the time. And either our lives will cause them to consider Christ or our lives will hamper their search for Christ.
Be like Matt. Matt makes me want to be a better Christ-follower. Make sure that every place you show up today is a better place because Jesus shows up wherever you are!
Praxis: Faith in Action 