“I tell you the truth,”he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown….” Luke 4:24(NIV)

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Luke 4:22 (NIV) The people in the synagogue, where Jesus had been many times growing up, were trying to “label” him. They were “in the santuary”, and yet they felt led to focus on the explanation of who Jesus was… not the exclamation of who He is. 

If I focus on all of the labels that have been attached to me…lets see, wife (3 times), non custodial parent, daughter, sister, friend, Christian, employee, golfer, (now thats a stretch)…hmmm. It hurts me to think that my “labels” can prevent me from being a witness in my sphere of influence, in my “hometown”…, and yet I think that the fact that Jesus has brought me out of the miry clay is a testimony of his grace and mercy, and Love. Is that why people get mad and reject our testimony? Because they know our “labels”….They are faced with a choice, like I was…do they want to make a trade,to receive their Designers label? You know the old saying…I am not perfect, I am perfectly forgiven.

Jesus was living, teaching, and walking among those people in the synagogue, and they missed the point of who He is. They intended to harm him (Luke 4:29),But (vs 30) he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. You know…Jesus, Joseph’s son…the carpenter, the Alpha and Omega. It is ok if people try to figure out my label… I bear the label of my Designer…the Son of God.

Lord I choose to set aside the labels of this world, please help me to be gracious to others, and to seek You in them. Lord please give me a desire to intercede for those in my “hometown” that do not know You. Please help me be transparent so they can see Your work in my life. Lord may I never “miss” you in the sanctuary, and I long to behold Your power and glory.(Psalm 63:2)

How do you pray for those “lost” folks in your “hometown”?  Do you have scriptures that help you remember who you are in the Lord (your designer)? How do you weekly,daily, or hourly trade your labels for Christ’s righteousness? Galatians 2:20 How do you remind yourself to seek Jesus in others?

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 20th, 2006 at 5:00 am and is filed under Daily Readings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.