You’ve Been Spending Time With…

In Minnesota, where I live, our winter days are short and as a result, many of our faces grow pale from the lack of exposure to sunlight. In January or February when we run into someone with a golden tan and a radiant glow, we can’t help but notice. The contrast is startling! Even complete strangers at the checkout in a store will say to them, “You must have been south” or “You’ve been in the sun.” It shows.


We are all shaped by the places we visit and by the people with whom we spend time. We are influenced by the company we keep. I can sometimes spend only a short time with someone and then be able to pretty accurately tell you what books they read, which radio stations they listen to, where they grew up, where they go to church and what kind of people they hang out with. I can also recognize those who have been spending a lot of their time with Jesus.


When you meditate on the words of the Bible and meet Jesus on the pages of the New Testament, it shows in your life. When you pray to him daily, experience him in worship and spend time with other godly followers of Jesus, you become more like Jesus. You begin to respond like Jesus. You love like Jesus. You think like Jesus and sound like Jesus.One of the greatest compliments any friend or critic can offer us is to say, “It’s obvious that you’ve been spending a lot of time with Jesus!”