Selena Day asks, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

Today I have been meditating on the story in Matt. 16 when Jesus asked his disciples, “What are the people saying about me? Who do they believe I am?”  

He then went on to ask them; “But you—who do you say that I am?”

I believe that these are two fundamental questions to remember during our lifelong journey in discovering our purpose and His plan for our lives.  

What are the people around you saying about Him and what is it that you say about Christ?  

Last night I had a conversation with my daughter about rebellion and her teenage years. I had taught my girls that rebellion is rebellion no matter what age you are, and not to buy into the lie that it is just normal for teens to rebel. Yes, they will question, and, yes they will not agree with us. Those years are the beginning of discovering your own voice, but in those times it is important to have conversations with us (their parents) and to remember that until they leave our home, our voice and our rules will trump theirs. It may not be fair, but life isn’t always fair. If life were fair, we wouldn’t have needed a savior.

This conversation started me looking back over my years as a believer and thinking about the ways that I have lived my truth. I have changed in my beliefs, but also (the conversation) reaffirmed how important it has been in my walk with Christ not to put my hope in my understanding, but to put my hope in my savior.  

In this ever-changing world, it is so essential to routinely ask ourselves, “Is what I believe about Christ wrapped up in my traditions and memories from my past victories, or is it in the current, daily relationship I have with him?”   

If you read the whole exchange from Matt. 16, you will see that only Peter was the one who spoke up boldly and said, “You are the anointed one, the Son of the living God!”

Jesus replied; “You are favored and privileged Simeon. For you didn’t discover this on your own, but my Father in heaven has supernaturally revealed it to you. I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church — my legislative assembly..”  

We have just finished the Christmas season, and we celebrated Christ as the newborn baby coming into the world, but he isn’t a baby, nor is he a martyr in a grave, he is a living king.  

How you see him effects how you access him. If you look at your savior as a distant King in the sky handing out judgment for the wrongs you do and bestowing kindness on you when are right, you will have begging prayers pleading for him to help you. You will always see yourself as a lowly slave and bitterness will fester within you for those who may have more or who have achieved more than you.

But when you change your paradigm, you will discover that he is the kindest, most generous, most loving being in the universe, a king that has given you all the keys to the kingdom and longs for you to unlock them and access all that he has for you. Then your prayers will become powerful. You will discover you are not a victim in this life no matter what adversity comes to you, but you are more than a conqueror!  

January is a time for beginning again. We begin new diets, we begin new year fasts, we make resolutions…let me challenge you to ask yourselves these two questions as you start a new year and a new journey with God this year.  

What are those around me saying about him?

And who do I say he is?  

God created you to be His message, and His plans are for your good!

By Selena Day

Selena Day is a motivational speaker and is available to speak at your conference or event.  You may contact her at selenaday@me.com http://www.queenliving.org http://facebook.com/queenismsbyselenaday. Photographs courtesy of Selena Day.

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