Rep Our Set Right!

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. – Titus 3:4-8

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 27-29; Titus 3

Unfortunately us Christians have a bad reputation in many circles. We are often called hypocrites, judgmental, mean, or a slew of other things. I have heard many people respond to that by saying that of course Christians are people too. We have the same faults and limitations that everyone else has.

Well… that’s a pretty wack excuse.
Yes we are people just like everyone else but when you strap on that label of “Christian” it’s supposed to mean something.

Honestly, I take these kinds of bad opinions about Christians as a compliment toward Jesus. That might sound strange but hear me out. Everyone knows that Jesus’ message is the epitome of love. Many even find it so pure as to seem like an impossible standard to live up to. We are called hypocrites because deep down everyone knows that it is SUPPOSED to mean to be a Christian. They have all heard about this Jesus fellow and what He is supposed to represent.

Christians are supposed to do GOOD.

The fault then of course lies within us. No, none of us will ever be perfect but really, I don’t think that is the standard that our fellow citizens of the world expect from us. What they do expect is that we always strive to do good. They expect that we show them love. They expect that we offer charity to the poor, a helping hand to the needy and peace to our neighbors. Yes some people expect this of us while they do not expect it of themselves; but you know what, that’s who we claim to be when we say that we are Christians.

So the next time you decide to throw fire and brimstone at someone, or judge them for what you think is an unsavory lifestyle think about not only how you are representing yourself but also how you are representing Jesus and the rest of us.

If you are going to call yourself a Christian, wear that badge with honor. Honor it with a life lived by the basic laws that should govern all that we do:

Love God with all of your being, and love your neighbor as yourself.

And yes… you have my permission to call me out when I fall short on this but please… be nice.

Thank you.