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Topic: Labels (01/05/04)
TITLE: Are You Labeled? By Cindy Dobroskay 01/09/04 |
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“You will shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:15
I did quite a bit of canning this year and for the first time I canned golden plums and a variety of jams. Along with the salsa and grape juice my shelves are full. The only problem I have is that I didn’t label anything. I assumed that I would be able to recognize what was in the jars. Well, the golden plums look very similar to the peaches. The peach jam and apricot jam look the same until they are opened. And since I have jars from last year, I can no longer tell which year they were canned. I thought I’d remember which end of the shelf I put the old and the new. It’s a little mixed up, to say the least.
I remember a Bridal shower I attended where the Bride-to-be was bestowed with a boxful of canned food, all with the labels taken off. That’s a great recipe for a culinary adventure in the kitchen. I’m sure she had fun!
Have you ever wondered what people see when they look at you? We don’t need to stick a label on our forehead. We label ourselves by how we dress, act, speak and write. I wonder how people see me? Does my ‘label’ tell the world that I am a Christian? Am I clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience? Can I forgive as the Lord forgave? (Colossians 3:12-13) Can I love the unlovely? In other words, do people see Christ in me?
As Christians, we are not to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). Therefore, if we accept Christ’s label, we should not be easily mixed up with the other jars on the shelf, even if we share the same shelf. We should shine as lights; or as the NIV version says, “as stars in the universe.”
What is your label saying about you?