(this is a picture taken with my camera or a friend's camera. I then did some lovely editting, using Picnik.com. The lyrics are from an old Newsboys song called "Hallelujah"[?])So I have been doing a lot of pondering about what it means to be a Christian in the past year or two. I'm realizing that most of the people in America who call themselves "Christians" have no actions to back up that title. Why, in this supposedly "Christian" nation, do I feel like the outcast? There are so many people saying that they are Christians...and yet how are they showing this to be true?
"Actions speak louder than words" is definitely a statement that truly applies here. Going to church in and of itself means NOTHING. If you listen to God's Word, but don't apply it to your life, what good is it to you? James 1:22-25 says something similar:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does
not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a
mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately
forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently
into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do
this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will
be blessed in what he does.
So many people in America say, "I'm a Christian," without thinking about what that means. If you're going to be a Christian, then BE a Christian. Without actions that reflect the meaning behind it, "Christian" is just another word. Read your Bible if you want to know what being a Christian actually means. I'm working on finding out what it means to be a Christian myself, and applying it to my entire life. In James 2:14-26 (please read the ENTIRE passage), it says:
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and
daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and
well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the
same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—
and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds
is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he
did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his
actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he
did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him as righteousness,"and he was called God's friend. You see
that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for
what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different
direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Being a true Christian involves doing things that aren't popular and NOT doing things that ARE popular. This involves waging war against the flesh. Here are some examples of things you should strive to do or not do as a Christian (warning: I am imperfect and though I know a lot of what I should/shouldn't do, I don't always do what I know I should do).
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you,
do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners'
love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you,
what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those
from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners'
lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good
to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind
to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
-Luke 6:30-36
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,
which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
-Colossians 3:5-8
No, being a true Christian is not always easy and it is not always the popular thing to do.
We can't be perfect here and now on earth, but as Christians, we should make outselves aware of what sin is and strive to avoid it. As Christians, we are not to live any longer to ourselves, but to God and to other people.
When you tell someone you are a "Christian," you may become the impression that comes to his mind when he thinks of a "Christian." You may embody what "Christian" means to that person.
Make a good impression so that you can be a bold witness for Christ, and not bring dishonor to His name. Please pray that I do the same.
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