A dear, sweet friend, Amy Cooper, got my attention when we talked recently. You gotta know Amy. A wife of decades. Mom of four. Grandmother of six. Retired missionary to the Orient. An old fashioned gentlewoman. She’s from LA - Lower Alabama. Accent sweeter than cane syrup. Smile warmer than the southern sun. Eyes that glitter like lightening bugs. And a hug that could only come from a grandma. To know Amy and her amazing husband, Virgil, is to love them.

While talking about church planting and evangelism Amy, this loving, wonderful grandma, said, “I’m convinced if they could just see the Jesus I know, then they’d accept him.”

If they could just see the Jesus I know, then they’d accept him. Can you see how she got my attention?

Amy begs the question: What Jesus do I know? The Jesus of the Bible. Revolutionary yet rational. Judging yet gracious. Holy yet merciful. Or the Jesus of my own creation. The Jesus of traditions and assumptions. The Jesus I don’t know at all through a growing personal relationship.

Amy knows Jesus. Risen Savior. Loving Lord. Righteous Judge. Victorious Warrior. She knows him through a relationship that is real and lasting. Intimate and honest. She knows Jesus can change lives. I know that Jesus too. And I’m with Amy. I want others to know Jesus. I’d imagine that you are too.

So we gotta ask: Why can’t they see Jesus? If they can’t see the Jesus we know, is he obstructed by what they see of us? Too much me. Too Little Jesus?

John the Baptist said of Jesus, "He must become greater; I must become less." How far from the conviction of John 3:30 are we?

Does our carelessness damage Jesus' perfection?

Does our pride obstruct Jesus’ humility?

Does our will hinder Jesus’ mercy?

Does our judgment destroy Jesus grace?

Does our anger erode Jesus’ love?

What about you, My Friend? What is it in you that gets in the way of other’s seeing Jesus?

What did the Holy Spirit just tell you? Will you confess it and repent from it right now? Share a comment below so that others might pray for you or praise God with you.

The world around us - our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family - are dying.

To see Jesus.