Jesus On My Tee

     There was a day that I used to think that the whole Jesus thing was corny, hokey even. Those are the only words that I can think of to describe how I viewed watching people be all spiritual. The Bible covers, the bumper stickers, the t-shirts, the conferences, the pens/pictures/paper weights/posters, etc. with printing on them with quips about Jesus. I don't know, but I truly think it was my aversion to mass marketing Jesus. I just thought it was totally unnecessary. Now, understand that I'm totally aware that no one can hear the Gospel unless someone preaches it. I just had my O on how I thought it should be done.

     I suppose my concept was a more simple approach...just live Him in front of everybody and use words if they were needed. I still can't get a picture in my mind of Paul wearing a "I Saw Jesus and it was a Blinding Sight to Behold" t-shirt, or the disciples handing out "Bray if you Love Jesus" bumper stickers to put on your donkey's rear, or coffee mugs with "He's Stronger Than Your Coffee and He's Stronger Than Your Caffeine Addiction" printed on them. It was a major turn-off for me. Not because focus was being put on Jesus, not at all, it just seemed like the merchandisers were hawking their wares in the temple for a buck. I certainly didn't want to be a part of an embarrassing situation where Jesus would have to show up in here and turn over the marketplace tables and call us all thieves! Using His image but not living His image.

     I knew from my early childhood and from being raised in Church, all the Bible stories. I distinctly understood that Jesus was not happy with the buying and selling aspects. I guess I just gleaned from that, that Jesus did not have a problem with the product itself, but the heart of the people selling it. It was just mindless everyday in and out business to them. They didn't leave their tables to go inside where Jesus was, they waited outside and sold a "form of godliness".

    Okay, so I don't even own a product with a single scripture stamped on it at that point in my life. But I had Bibles galore, and Concordances, and stacks of teaching cassettes (CD's later), books on numerous topics, and confession sheets for faith building. I am a hardcore Word junkie. My Bibles are heavily marked, dozens of notebooks filled with thoughts and prayers, worship music in every CD player that I own, TV channels that preach the Word whenever I'm ready. I have stacks and stacks of these things, bookshelves filled to capacity! Here's the one-two punch...in essence, there is absolutely no difference between my past disagreements with everything printed on something and buying the notebooks, CD's, and books. It's still a heart thing.

      Jesus does not care if you read the entire Bible through every year and study His Word 5 hours a day and pray for three and wear your W.W.J.D. bracelet and quote Psalms 91 daily and then never do a thing to give Him away! He does not take joy in Jesus hoarding, Jesus buying, Jesus selling, or Jesus business. He wants us to have a Jesus relationship...with Him...personally...everyday. When I do that very thing I won't want to hoard Him, I will want EVERYONE to have Him! I will want to give Him away, not sell Him to someone for a dollar.

     Again, I have an understanding that it cost money to get the word out about Him. That's why I don't really have the ickiness I used to have when it comes to putting His name out to the public anyway the public will see it or hear it. It is a form of giving Him away, so to speak, "...freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). Boiling it down, having a merchants heart vs. having a ministry heart is THE difference between me having my tables flipped over and attention called to the intents of my heart and Jesus walking up to my table and asking for Himself an "I AM" t-shirt. That would definitely ROCK! He IS THE Rock! But that's for another t-shirt.