And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:27-29
Jesus’ public ministry on earth lasted only about three years. Before returning to Heaven, He entrusted His followers with the responsibility of carrying His message throughout the world. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Yet our witness for Christ is not limited to the words we speak. God’s purpose is that our lives would increasingly reflect the character of His Son. Our conduct, attitudes, and priorities should allow others to see something of Jesus in us. When the religious leaders observed Peter and John, “they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Their time with Christ had left a visible mark on their lives.
John Angell James wrote, “Press right home to your conscience the question, ‘What do I have of the mind of Christ?’ Does my heart answer, does my disposition correspond, to the holy, meek, humble, forgiving, benevolent, patient, self-denying mind of Christ? Do men who know the beauty and glory of the Original, as it is delineated on the page of the gospel, when they see me, say, ‘There is the image of Christ!’ Or do they look skeptically on, and after standing in silence for some time, profess they can see little or no resemblance? Oh, be satisfied with nothing short of a copy of Christ’s heart into yours!”
