In Minnesota, where I live, our winter days are short and, as a result, many faces grow pale from lack of sunlight. When we see someone with a golden tan in the winter, we often say to them, “You must have been south,” because it shows.

We’re all affected by the places we visit and by the people with whom we spend time. We are influenced by the company we keep. Similarly, when we meditate on the words of the Bible and meet Jesus in its pages, it shows in our lives. When we pray to him daily, experience him in worship and spend time with other followers of Jesus, we become more like him. We begin to think like Jesus and sound like Jesus.

One of the greatest compliments anyone can offer us is to say, “It’s obvious that you’ve been spending a lot of time with Jesus!”