I am becoming frustrated with the 'Christians' that call themselves that who live here in America. It seems like it's the new fad. You know once the schools started banning anything to do with God Christianity seems to have taken off as the new dare devil thing, which of course makes it cool. Now, I am not saying I am not glad that God is considered cool, because He is, but there needs to be more of a realness to it. A real full on relationship with God, a personal experience with Him, not just once when we first offer our lives to Him but a daily open communication with Him.
Now a days it seems that we as Christians are the people that think as long as we are nice, and friendly and giving and sharing and caring and all those other fun things that any moral person would do anyways, that we are showing 'the love of Christ.' So, are we really showing Christ to be any different than the atheist who lives down the street? The atheist who lives down the street still has moral values, he believes in sharing, and caring for the less fortunate, and he believes in being kind always to others and loving those around him. So, sounds to me like Christians are sharing nothing different than a man who doesn't believe that God even exists let alone sent a Savior who died for us.
So how as Christians can we really stand out? How can we really be different? Is just congregating on Sunday's and occasionally with our churchy friends throughout the week the only thing that makes me different from the guy down the street? Because if it is, let me tell you that really really sucks. To put it bluntly that means there is nothing different other than a bunch of wasted time congregating with a group of people who are trying to prove who is more spiritual than the next. If there is nothing deeper than what seems to lay out there for the world to see as we portray Christ then we as Christians are in a world of hurt! And to put it as kindly as possible the rest of the world who doesn't know Christ on a personal level is screwed!
So how can we be different? How can we show even an atheist that we are different? How can we show that God really exists with us and in us? That God is there, that God cared enough to send His one and only Son to earth to die for them? How, especially at this time of year, can we open the door for all the world to experience salvation through Jesus Christ? How can we be more than the average American Christian?
If you don't have an answer for this then it's high time you ask God to really show you how. If you are that serious that you want others to see Christ through you then you need to find a way to be different. You need to find a way to be stretched beyond human limits, to face anything that you fear, and accept that you may just need to step out of your comfort zone and go above and beyond with God being your strength, not relying on your own logic. If others salvation really means that much to you, which it should, then you should be far less concerned with blending in and fitting in with everyone including your Christian friends. You should be more concerned with making sure you are always living your life 100% sold out for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Too many of us are worried we are going to look weird, or be rejected. But here is the thing, if people are rejecting what you stand for and what you have to say stop worrying about it being about you. They aren't rejecting you they are rejecting Jesus and that is to be more of a concern than you looking good to them. Some of those people out there that you are worried about looking weird in front of are looking for the person who is different the person who isn't just nice on their own accord. They are looking for the person that smiles even on a bad day, that has pure untainted joy that flows out of your mouth, your smile, your very being of a person.
Does that mean you have to be overly bubbly and annoying people walking around saying "Jesus loves you, Jesus loves you." No! of course it doesn't mean that. But it does mean that you can show you are different than the atheist, or the person who is just nice because they were brought up to have good moral values. It means that even when human nature would crumble you do not. When others are stressed out, you are not because you are relying on the God of the universe for your strength to hold you together. You have offered your body as a living sacrifice, if God is flowing through you His power and strength reside in you at all times so even when you are physically and emotionally drained on a human level the miracle of God is that He can make you stand strong and speak for you.
Don't keep relying on the logic, and personal human understanding and strength to be kind, to be compassionate. Don't do things just so people can see, and just so people think you look good, or you look like a fully devoted Christian. Do things that are out of the ordinary. Do things that are nice, but do them because God asked you too, not because your church friends will think you are amazing or other onlookers will see you as a nicer person. Ask God to flood you with Joy, His Joy so that when the worst and best of circumstances come in your life everyone around you can see that Jesus really is your sustainer, that Jesus really is the reason you sing, the reason you smile, the reason you share, the reason you love. Don't go through another holiday just being kind to people because it's the right, Christian thing to do. Go through the holiday doing those things because God asked you, then you will grumble less, you will not have the desire to wish you hadn't volunteered and you will do it out of pure joy in your heart.
Joy this season will not come because you have everything it will come because you give everything!
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