A Character for Christ

Posted on by Chris G Thelen

As the year comes to a close, I decided to dig deep into the archives to republish one of the first posts on this blog from March 4, 2010. It gives some insight into the origin of the name of this blog, 140 Character Christian.

John the Baptist was a master at editing his life down so only Christ remained evident to others. He wore clothes made from camel hair with a leather belt and ate locusts and honey (Matt. 3:4). He did not worry about having a nice building to accommodate the crowds that came to hear him preach. His message cut to the point: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 3:2 NIV) – simple words that easily fit into a 140 character text message or Twitter post.*

John’s life was not cluttered with things that confused his message. He did not try to impress people, rather he tried to impress upon them the need to repent of their sins and prepare for the coming of Jesus. In Matthew 11:8-10, Jesus points out that the people did not come to see John dressed in fine clothes, they came to see a prophet. People traveled into the hot and dusty desert to hear John’s message, not to see his outfit, sit in a beautiful building with air conditioning, or dine on locusts and honey with him.

Many of the people that crowded around John in the desert were tired of trying to impress others with their deeds and appearances. They were hungry for a message of true repentance that would free them from the burden of their sins. John focused on their spiritual need for a savior. He pointed them away from himself and toward Christ. In Matt. 3:11 he explains how one is to come who is more powerful than him, how he is not fit to carry his sandals. John’s life was edited down so only the message of Jesus came through each day.

As a follower of Jesus your greatness and your identity is not in this world. John continues to show us true life is in Christ. Jesus commends John saying, “There has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” He goes on to say that we have the potential to be greater than John, that “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matt. 11:11 NIV)

© 2010 CGThelen

* Editor’s note: The 140 character limitation on text messages and Twitter posts has since went away. As has the name Twitter which is now called X. 

17 thoughts on “A Character for Christ”

  1. I see I commented on this fine post before, and I shall do so again. 😀

    “As a follower of Jesus your greatness and your identity is not in this world. “

    This is the topic sentence, for me. As a middle-aged guy enjoying my third career, it just makes sense.

    Actually, as a Christian middle-aged guy it really, really makes sense.

    I admire, and am inspired by your apply to speak well, but with few words, Chris. It’s a quality I try to include in my own writing.
    Blessings, brother!

    1. Thanks, David. Early in my career I wrote magazine ads where sometimes I only had 20-30 words to say something. That taught me to pack in a lot in a few words. Blessings to you!

  2. These days we try and add as much as we can to our lives, to fill in all our time with ‘productivity’. What of stillness? What of prayer? What of listening to the Lord?

    I’m working to live as John did, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

    Thank you for sharing this.

    1. Stillness, prayer, listening to God… Good things to pack for life’s journey. Thanks for the comment. Blessings.

  3. Pingback: A Character for Christ — 140 Character Christian – quietmomentswithgod
  6. Pingback: A Character for Christ – Tonya LaLonde

  7. I agree with Sue. One of the great things about your blog is you do not mince words. I also like how you often bring a fresh angle to a familiar story. I’ve never thought about discipleship (becoming more like Christ) being like editing. Showing less of me and more of Christ is a moment by moment struggle, but possible thanks to the Holy Spirit.

    Thank you for your blog ministry. I enjoy your posts!

    1. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate you reading and commenting. Praise God for His Spirit to guide us in our daily struggle to be more like Christ. Blessings

    1. It is a daily challenge to live Christ-like and not like the world. Thanks for the comment. Blessings to you as well.

  9. “John’s life was edited down so only the message of Jesus came through each day.” May that be our desire, know Him and make Hi;m known.

Comments are closed.