HOW MUCH DO OTHERS KNOW ABOUT ME AND MY FAITH?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon 
and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" (that is, the Christ). 
(John 1:41)

MEDITATION:
Except for the fact that Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother and a fisherman,
we know very little about this apostle.
However we do know about a particular encounter he had with Jesus.
God called John to baptize people with water 
and to pave the way for the Messiah.
John faithfully committed to his responsibilities from God and we 
can assume he was probably constantly on the lookout for the Son of God.

One day, he finally saw the Lord and recognized Him immediately.
We don’t know how he recognized Him as the Messiah, but he did!
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw 
Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35-36) 

John’s exclamation grabbed the attention of two other disciples
and aroused their curiosity.
They began following Jesus and after a brief conversation
they spent the rest of the day with Him.
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning 
around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, 
“Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, 
“and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they 
spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. (John 1:37-39)

Apparently they set aside any plans they had for the day 
and chose instead to spend time with the Lord.
We can assume they had many questions 
and wanted to know as much about the Messiah as possible.
What questions would you have for Him if you saw Him physically?
Ask your questions during your daily prayer time.

We could learn from these two disciples.
Many times we are overly involved with our own plans 
and fail to spend time getting to know the Lord.
Of course they spent time with Him physically, 
but we have been given ample opportunities to spend time with Him spiritually.
We have been given His Word to read, and churches with pastors called by God 
and guided by Him to help us better understand what we read. 

Reviewing the events of the day, we see that Andrew overheard John’s 
comments, dropped what he was doing, followed Jesus and spent time with Him.
But what did he do with the information he gained?
How did it change his life?

The first thing he did was find his brother 
and tell him about his encounter with Jesus.
Secondly, he took him to see the Lord, 
and Simon Peter’s life was changed as well.
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 
“We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him 
to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. 
You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). (John 1:41-42)

ACTION:
Imagine for a moment that people know very little about you.
Wouldn’t it be gratifying if all they knew 
is that you had a life changing encounter with the Lord, 
and it created a desire in you for others to meet and know Him?

Some questions you have to ask yourself are: 
“Have I met the Messiah?”
“How well do I know Him?”
“How much time to I spend getting to know Him better?”
“Do I read His Word on a regular basis, 
and do I frequently attend church in order to better understand what I read?”
“How has He changed my life?”
“What new desires has He created in me?”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for providing opportunities for me to 
know You, Your Son, and Your Spirit better. I pray that I will not 
take lightly what You have given me, and everyone else. Forgive me 
for when I have allowed other things to steal away the time I should 
spend getting to know You better. Increase in me a desire to know 
more about Jesus so I will be prepared to share Him with my friends 
and family. Thank You for Your love, mercy and grace to me, a sinner
who has been rescued by the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus! Remind me 
of the magnitude of what He did for me on the cross.” 

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