In recent posts, I have mentioned my admiration for public figures like Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen because both come across as authentic individuals who are making good use of the talents God has given them. 

Who do you admire most – and why?  Ultimately, for me as a Christian, Jesus Christ is the person I admire most, and his complete faithfulness, to the point of being willing to give his life for me (and for you and everyone else in the world!), is a model I try to imitate, though I know I fall far short and am grateful for God’s forgiveness and mercy.

Please share a little about the person that you admire most – whether the individual is a well-known public figure or a family member or friend of yours.

I won’t normally post every day but since my pastor preached a sermon this morning about being true to yourself I wanted to share it with you while it is fresh in my mind.  He talked about the fact that when Jesus says “Follow me” it is often understood to mean strive to be exactly like Jesus when the reality is that we are each unique people with our own unique talents.  Obviously there are standards of behavior we all need to uphold and Jesus is the ultimate role model of one who is totally faithful, to the point of giving his life.  We are called to love others as he loves us.  However, if we were all clones of Jesus, with the exact same thoughts and behaviors, the world would be a very boring place.  God gave us each specific gifts and made us distinct individuals for a reason.  Rather than asking “What would Jesus do?” we should ask “What does God want me to do?”  In a broad, general sense the answers to both questions may be the same – love people unconditionally, forgive, help those in need, tell them about God’s love, etc. – but the specific ways in which we do each of those things will vary.  Jesus’ first disciples, handpicked by him, had different strengths (and weaknesses!),  personalities, communication styles, and ways of making decisions, just as we do.  The Bible says clearly that there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, varieties of services, but the same Lord, and varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone, and they are all manifestations of the Spirit for the common good. (See First Corinthians Chapter 12)