They recognized that they had been with Jesus.

(Acts 4:13)

A woman had a serious problem — her husband was a loud snorer. Night after night, she lay wide awake, listening to him rumble like a freight train. Finally, desperate for sleep, she called the doctor and asked if anything could be done.

“Well,” the doctor said, “there is one operation I can perform that will cure your husband.  But it’s quite expensive — $1,000 down, and $450 a month for 24 months.”

The woman gasped. “Oh my! That sounds like leasing a new sports car!”

The doctor paused. “Hmm… too obvious, huh?”

Some things in life are obvious — and can’t be hidden.  Like loud snoring.  Or the payment plan for a sports car.  Or, as in the case of Acts 4:13, the unmistakable character of someone who’s been with Jesus.

Peter and John weren’t impressive by the world’s standards. They were ordinary, uneducated men.  But when they stood boldly before the Jewish leaders, speaking with courage and conviction, those leaders were baffled — until they recognized the one thing that explained it all: “They had been with Jesus.”

That simple phrase is powerful. It tells us that spending time with Jesus leaves a mark. It changes who we are.  It reshapes our character, our speech, our courage, and our kindness. It gives us a presence that’s hard to explain — and hard to miss.

So here’s a question worth asking: Is it obvious?  When people look at your life — your patience in traffic, your words at work, your love for others, your reaction when people do you wrong — can they tell that you’ve been with Jesus?

You shouldn’t need a bumper sticker or a T-shirt to make it known.  If Christ is truly shaping you, it will show.  Not perfectly, of course — we all have our off days — but over time, his presence in your life should be undeniable.

May you live today in such a way that Jesus is obvious.  May your life quietly and consistently say: “I’ve been with him.”

Prayer: Lord, draw me closer to you and change me in ways that others can’t help but notice.  Help me to reflect your grace, your courage, and your love so that it’s obvious to everyone around me — I’ve been with you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day