I can remember the days when having a little alligator on your shirt meant something special. Later it was having a circular label on the side of your sneakers that said “Converse.” Of course, later, everyone wanted the “swoosh” of Nike on their shoes, shirts, and shorts. All these labels meant something. This past year when our local football team won the Super Bowl. Everyone wanted to wear something with the Philadelphia Eagles logo on it. People rent billboards to display the things they think are important.
Christians are no different. We wear labels as well. We want folks to know that we associate with certain groups, or with certain causes, and we make sure that we identify ourselves accordingly. I don’t want to get side-tracked on any tangents at this point, so I will just leave it with that statement. The truth is that we are wearing labels today that are very important to the plan of God. Every believer in Jesus Christ needs to realize that they carry a label wherever they go in this world.
Today I read, “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah” (Psalm 60:4). God made us to be like a billboard for Him wherever we go. There was a famous athlete in Philadelphia years ago who made a very controversial statement. He announced one day, “I don’t want to be a role-model.” You might be thinking today, I don’t want to be a billboard for God, but just like the athlete, you do not have a choice. Others are watching you and your testimony whether you like it or not!
Knowing that we are to display our relationship with God like a banner we wave wherever we go is quite a responsibility. The “banner” we have been given is the Holy Spirit of God within us. He is the One Who will create in us the impression of God that the world needs to see. In and of ourselves, none of us is capable of accurately displaying the character deserving of our God. When we yield to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, we have the opportunity to display truth to the world around us that is desperately searching for it.
When you woke up this morning, I am sure you did not think about the important role you have in the plan of God! Every Christian has a banner to raise today. Realize that you are wearing the label of a born-again Christian. That label requires appropriate behavior to demonstrate an accurate picture of our Savior. Live well with the label of Jesus Christ! It is a great privilege!