Christmas has just passed and the New Year is coming up. It is a week of festive holidays and of hope and good cheer. That is, if you are in a good and happy place. If you are not, it can be a time of reflection on what went wrong in your life this past year.
For me, while it has been quiet, I am still very happy. There have been many years when the same could not be said.
I noted to myself this morning that my days are very regimented. I have to get up and do this and that each and every day. It is for my health, both physical and spiritual, that these tasks are to be done. I was a tad wistful for the days prior to fall 2017, when I didn’t have such a strict day planned out.
Then, I gave some thought to what I used to do. The things that I filled my days with. While I didn’t have to do the same thing each day, the things that I did had no real meaning. No one was helped by my work, not even me. There was certainly no glory to God being given. They were tasks that the world might admire but nothing, apart from watching my grandchildren, that could give me any measure of satisfaction of a job well done or for a good reason.
Having realized that, I also realized that I would never want to go back to that life. Even if I could walk around freely, without oxygen supplements or the pain that I am currently experiencing (though I must admit I could do without the pain, Lord.)
There were so many other years when so little was done. I did raise my children and that was a good thing. But other than that, in an eternal view, nothing was done.
There are many other Christians who live their lives as I did. We so easily forget that we are supposed to be in the world but not of the world. We are supposed to be the light that shows Christ to the fallen rather than to join in their endless quest for happiness, celebrity, or whatever it takes to fill their emptiness.
How can we show Christ when we are busy reflecting the world back to those who might otherwise be seeking him? I’ve seen this on social media recently. I was shocked to see someone refer to Christmas Eve service at our church as a “magical evening”. Say what, thought I? Magical? As in magicians and sorcerers? I’m sure that was not when the person meant but it is certainly what they said.
That is being of the world – using their language and their thoughts and actions. We need to stop this type of behavior and seek God to find out how he wishes us to speak and behave in these public forums.
Without question, quoting from the Word of God, the Bible, is one way of showing Christ to the world. He is the Word. When he was tempted by the devil, he responded by quoting scripture. Thus, he set a precedent for us to follow. When we don’t know what to say, use his words. They will always be correct and good and true.
They may not be popular, though, and that is something that will be difficult for many to willingly accept. So much of social media is based on friends and followers, likes and the such. Taking a stance for God will certainly cost you in terms of these metrics. However, you need to weigh that loss with the gain you will receive in heaven.
God is watching and he knows what is in our hearts and our minds. Be ever vigilant and know that he can return at any moment – either for his church or for any individual. With that mindset, always be thinking of how to show the gift of salvation to others. Also, show them how Christ-followers live.
While we are sinners still, we are trying to live like Jesus. We fall and get back up with his help. He is willing to forgive whenever we sin and come to him with true repentance.
Also, accepting Jesus is not some sort of get of jail free card. It is not something to check off on a list and then go off on your merry way. The thing about salvation is that you must truly repent of your sins. If you think that some of your behavior isn’t sinful and that you can continue in it, well, chances are that you didn’t sincerely accept the gift of salvation. I can’t say for sure. I don’t know what is in your heart and mind but God does.
You show your true repentance by changing your life. You put aside your sinful behavior. Sure, you will fail from time to time. But each time, you go back to the source of forgiveness and ask for his help. He will provide it. Slowly but surely, you will begin to live more like Jesus.
Jesus is your one true friend. The one who was willing to die for you even at your worst moment. So, if you are put in a position, being in the world, where you have to make a choice or take a position, think about it. Whose opinion really matters? The “friends” and “followers” on social media or the one that is your true friend; the one you should follow?
Make the right choice and show the world what it truly means to be a Christ-follower. Let them stand in wonder about how you are different from others. They just may come and ask how you can take the stands that you do and what you have that makes you stand out as different from the others. That is our purpose – to be a light, a type of beacon, like a lighthouse. The light of Jesus should shine out from us drawing others to his safe haven.
John 18-22
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.