How do we know what God is like? From the New Testament we learn specifically what He is like by how Jesus, God’s Son, lived right here where we live–on planet Earth.

But people around us who don’t read the Bible are looking at us to see what God is like. We say we are Christians, so people watch us to see if there is anything in us that shows we’re any different from people who don’t claim to have a relationship with God. They just judge God by us, who say we know Him. Kind of scary, isn’t it.

You may be thinking, “That’s a lot of pressure. After all, I’m so far from perfect that the thought of others looking at me to find out what Jesus is like is uncomfortable.” But when people look at our lives, I don’t think they’re looking for perfection. They’re looking for reality. They’re looking for integration between what we say and what we do. They’re looking to see if we have something they don’t have—reality that they want for themselves. Does the presence of Christ in our lives make us more caring? More unselfish? Or do our lives convey the message that we think we’re better than people who don’t know the Lord?

James, the half-brother of Jesus, was one of the writers of the New Testament.  So, it was from first-hand experience of knowing Jesus that he wrote, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13).

As others look at the lives we live, let’s ask God to help us demonstrate Jesus to our world.