People Potential

Many years ago an obscure inventor built a racing car. He didn’t give it a name, he gave it a number: 999. After many tests he hired a cyclist named Barney Oldfield to drive it in a race. During the race the car hit a top speed of sixty miles an hour – a mile a minute. That race brought the driver and the builder of the car much attention and launched their careers.

Years later the builder and the driver of the race car met one another. The builder, Henry Ford,  looked at Oldfield and said, “You made me, Barney, and I made you.”

“True,” replied Oldfield. “But you must admit I did a better job than you did.”

Every day we look into the eyes of someone who is waiting to be discovered. A great example is Andrew and Peter.
John tells us that “the first thing” Andrew did after he began to follow Jesus was to “find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah...’”

That invitation to follow Jesus changed history. That is why He gave him a new name, Cephas or Peter, meaning “rock.” And in spite of his failures, he became a solid rock in the early church. He became one of the “inner three” in the life of Jesus, the voice of God at Pentecost and his enthusiasm inspired many. He never gave up in spite of his failures and always followed Jesus closely. What about you?

Prayer: Help us, Father, to see people the way Jesus did – not who they are, but who they could become if they placed Christ in the center of their lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: John 1:40-43 …The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ)…