My signature becomes my word when I sign checks, tax forms, petitions, applications, letters or cards. By signing my name I am saying that I am good for the money I am promising, or that I believe in a cause, or that all the above information about me is true. When I sign my name on letters or cards to loved ones I am saying that I care about them and I am committed to them.

Recently, as I was forming my signature my eye was drawn, not to my name, but to the hand that was creating it. My thoughts turned to the endless accounts of Jesus' hands touching lepers, tax collectors and prostitutes. He touched children with protective love and the hurting with compassion. His hands healed eyes, delivered people from demons and helped those who were once dead stand to their feet. After His hands broke bread and washed the feet of his skittish disciples, they caressed the head of the disciple whom He loved. His hands were raised to His Father as He pleaded with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane then outstretched them to touch the wounded ear of one who had come to arrest him. His hands never once struck back as he was mercilessly flogged and beaten. He carried His own cross to Calvary with hands that were stained with His own blood.

And then His hands were pierced for the work of my hands. On occasion my hands have pointed out the differences, weaknesses and failures of others and, begrudgingly, have served others with a self-seeking heart. Am I using my hands to touch a hurting world or to hold closed the door of my heart, refusing to get involved? I am convinced that touching such a dark world with the hopeful light of Christ means trusting Jesus as I reach out and touch others.

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus shares the foundation of all evangelism when he says, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Being a small group leader means signing away your old life and taking on the new life of a shepherd. What can Jesus' signature look like?

• A handwritten note of encouragement to someone that is struggling with a tough issue.
  
  
• Offering to pray with someone who needs the hope of an intercessor.
  
  
• A small anonymous gift left on the doorstep of a neighbor or friend's home.
  
  
• An uplifting message of thankfulness and encouragement left on an answering machine when a friend, family member or neighbor is at work or out of town.
  
  
• Inviting someone to go for a walk, shopping, out for lunch or a cup of coffee.
  
  
• Stopping by a friend or family member's workplace just to say "hi!"
  
  

Jesus' signature on my life was written with his pain, his blood and his love. His name written across my life means that He is good for what He has promised, and that He believes in me and that all that He has said is true. His name boldly proclaims that He loves me and is fully committed to me.

By the work of my hands I can either make his signature clear to a world in dire need of a Savior or cloud their perception of who he is. Now, when I sign my name, I give thanks to a Savior that allowed his hands to be pierced for the work of my own. Is Jesus' signature visible in your life?

Originally published online at SmallGroups.com, June 2, 2002.

Read more from 'Ideas'

				Try an Issue of Leadership Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Leadership coming, honor your invoice for just $22.00 and receive three more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Leadership as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!