God's assessment is all that matters.

I never actually met the guy myself, but I have heard a lot about him. He wasn't known for his singing, his amazing looks, the status he carried, or the way he threw a ball. He was ordinary in the way he looked. He didn't try out for a bunch of sports, a bunch of clubs, or groups that would bring up his worth in the eyes of everyone around him. He would have NEVER had a shot at American Idol, and he certainly would not have been the star quarterback on a football team. He was alright with that. He didn't really care too much about what other people thought about him, actually, which was part of what made him stand out so much. All he really cared about was what his dad thought of him. He devoted his entire life to his dad. Everything he did, every single day, was done in an effort to please his DAD. He was told from the time he was born that it was his "destiny", and he agreed to that destiny.

People tried to knock him down and tell him it was silly. "Just have fun! Stop being so serious about making your dad happy! Who cares what your dad thinks!?"

Partying with other friends might have proved to be more fun for the night, but he could never bring himself to make it what his life was about. There were too many other important things to be done. Was it because he just loved his dad so much, and didn't want to disappoint him? Other people's opinions of him seemed so inconsequential compared to what his father thought of him. I mean, don't get me wrong...he loved his friends, but he didn't live and die according to what his friends thought of him.

Instead, he was going to live and die, according to the cause of making his dad happy.

He seemed to always be aware of where he stood with this dad. Maybe he didn't want to mess that up. Maybe he got some kind of kick out out of seeing his dad smile at him. Whatever joy he received from making his dad happy seemed to be enough, though, because he stayed intent on making that his goal in life. If there was an area of his life that seemed shady, and it wasn't clear whether to go right or left, he just asked his dad. His dad gave him an answer, and he obeyed his dad's direction because he trusted his dad.

His dad comforted him, gave him advice along the way, and He gave him all the things in his life he would ever need. He couldn't imagine life without his dad. As long as he had his dad, he didn't need anyone else, or anything else.

Some people thought it was cool that he liked his dad so much. They heard him talking about his dad and wanted to know more. They were intrigued by the things they heard about his dad, and it made them want to get to know his dad and have their own relationship with him. They could never take the place of his son in his life, but they would love to be at the table with the both of them and just be part of the fellowship between them. They would ask questions, and come hang out with him and his dad. Some people fell in love with his dad, because of the way he talked about his dad. Some of those people would go tell other people, who in turn told other people, and so on, until there were people coming to meet his dad, just because they "heard" about him.

There were other people, though, who were REALLY getting kind of tired of hearing about how great his dad was. I mean, seriously, they would all be having a great time and this guy would show up and start talking about how his dad would not approve of the things going on. Some people cared, but other people would just get upset. Those people would think, "You know what? We're kind of tired of hearing what your dad thinks about everything!! Be quiet already." Some people thought they knew his dad better than he did. Those people would think, "You're not anyone special to be talking about him the way you do."

It got so bad, that one day a handful of people plotted to kill him. They thought if they killed him they could go back to doing things the way they wanted.

For the record...
Jesus knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of wrong assessments and judgments. In the Old Testament, people had a hard time believing God was who he said he was. In the New Testament, people had a hard time believing Jesus was who he said he was. People now, have a hard time believing the Holy Spirit is who He says He is. Even so, God is God. He is who He says He is and He's coming back in all of His glory!



PRAYER
Your assessment of me is the only one that truly matters, God. I will seek you, follow you, and devote my days to you. I will trust my life to you and your plans. Thank you for the way you comfort, sustain, and and renew me daily with your gracious and patient leading, Lord. Amen.