Matthew 16:15 – “ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”” (NIV)
A French pastor was called to serve in a small community. At one of the first homes he visited the wife was away so he could only talk with the husband. When the wife returned, she probed her husband about the nature of the pastor’s visit. “Well, what did he say?” she asked. And he said, “He just asked if Jesus lived here. He didn’t really ask anything else, just ‘Does Jesus live here?’” “Surely you told him we were the church’s biggest supporters,” the wife said. “He didn’t ask that,” the husband repeated. He only asked if Jesus lived here.” “Well you must have told him we read our Bible and say our prayers every day.” “He didn’t ask that either. He just asked if Jesus lived here.” “Well, did you tell him that we attend his services every Sunday and sit on the front row?” And he said, “He didn’t ask about that. He only wanted to know, ‘Does Jesus live here?’” That is all God wants to know. Jesus wants to be born in you and me. When I was growing up we didn’t know anything about Attention Deficit Disorder. We just knew some children were hard to discipline, couldn’t sit still, and had a hard time focusing. We now know that it was a medical thing and can be fixed by medicine. I know this: Many of our problems come about because we have a Jesus Deficit Disorder. We have a lot of religion and opinions, and too little of Jesus. We have a lot of opinions and too little of Jesus. The real question is does Jesus live in your heart? Only you can answer that question.
A French pastor was called to serve in a small community. At one of the first homes he visited the wife was away so he could only talk with the husband. When the wife returned, she probed her husband about the nature of the pastor’s visit. “Well, what did he say?” she asked. And he said, “He just asked if Jesus lived here. He didn’t really ask anything else, just ‘Does Jesus live here?’” “Surely you told him we were the church’s biggest supporters,” the wife said. “He didn’t ask that,” the husband repeated. He only asked if Jesus lived here.” “Well you must have told him we read our Bible and say our prayers every day.” “He didn’t ask that either. He just asked if Jesus lived here.” “Well, did you tell him that we attend his services every Sunday and sit on the front row?” And he said, “He didn’t ask about that. He only wanted to know, ‘Does Jesus live here?’” That is all God wants to know. Jesus wants to be born in you and me. When I was growing up we didn’t know anything about Attention Deficit Disorder. We just knew some children were hard to discipline, couldn’t sit still, and had a hard time focusing. We now know that it was a medical thing and can be fixed by medicine. I know this: Many of our problems come about because we have a Jesus Deficit Disorder. We have a lot of religion and opinions, and too little of Jesus. We have a lot of opinions and too little of Jesus. The real question is does Jesus live in your heart? Only you can answer that question.
– Dr. Tim Thompson