(Much of what I'm sharing today has been shared before, I believe its worthy of sharing again, it's a direct result of my Bible study's of late ....)
Where people get the idea that because one is a Christian,
they don't make bad choices.
Or that because one is a Christian, they must also be hypocrites.
That because one is a Christian ________
Fill in the blank, world....
It is from my experience a few things may contribute to this thinking.
Those who really believe such things, don't understand the faith.
First and foremost, if one truly understands the Christian faith they would know,
Christians do make bad choices....yes, we too are human.
Christians can be hypocritical, it's true, as can other members of life!
It's really not easy being a Christian.
It's the most ridiculed faith, yet is is a faith that teaches above all else to love one another,
even those that ridicule, even one's enemies.
I personally believe the Bible as God Word,
His Word breathed into others, and therefore penned by many authors.
A true history of mankind.
Because I believe that, and I understand how God wants me to be toward others,
I would hope to not ridicule another for their particular faith.
I would not assume because one is a "bad" (pick a faith), that all of that faith is bad.
Yet....that is what so many do in response to the Christian faith?
The second reason I believe that contributes to this way of thinking toward the Christian faith is that people
have had bad experiences personally with a church or those claiming to be Christians.
Christians just as any other group of people,
have faults and are not always good examples of the faith.
(Grieves me deeply)
For that I am deeply sorry, at the same time, it's not the
entire faith that hurt you in whatever way you may have been hurt.
I know some had faith forced on then as children and when it came time to decide
for oneself you chose to be done with "that" experience.
It's really quite an incredible thing when faith is by choice, when it's really studied, when one truly understands it, and therefore truly experiences it in a personal way.
Speaking for myself as a Christian.
I am not perfect, yet I know I serve a perfect God.
I make bad choices, yet I know He is a God of grace and forgiveness.
There are hypocrites that attend church, I say, what better place for them to be in order
to recognize it and hopefully think better of it?
I try very hard not to judge, I never know another persons full story nor have I walked in their shoes.
I don't want to criticize anyone for their beliefs that may differ from mine.
I do struggle with any faith that teaches the opposite of love.
Faith is such a personal choice and I can't imagine chosing to be interested in one
that promotes anything other than much needed love in this world.
As a Christian I wake up everyday with a desire to do better, to be better.
My greatest prayer is that people who claim to be Christian live a life that's reflective of
that faith. It's a faith who's greatest commandment is to love others, are you?
How are you treating strangers, employees, neighbors, spouses, friends?
The answer should be by loving them no matter what.
Loving, it's a verb, Christian.
This I work at daily, and I often fail.
Yet my honest desire each day is to try again, to try and get it right.
~
Christian what is your behavior when others aren't watching,
when you are away from church?
Gulp, guilty myself with just a second to think about it!
Always something to work on.....and very important that when recognized you don't ignore it!
We've work to do if we want the world to see true examples of our faith.
Live your faith in a way that all will recognize you as light to the world.
It is my belief as I shared on Facebook this past week.
Rather you believe it or not, this world is seeing what the Bible says would happen,
is in fact
happening before our eyes.
A result of God leaving man to their own choices.
More and more Christians are martyred for their faith every day,
I know this will continue to be more common than not in our not so distant future.
Today I learned the sad fact that more Christians have died because
of their faith in the 20th century than all other centuries combined.
Telling......
I am a Christian, I have many faults, I speak freely of my faith
because I live in a country where I can.
Though I don't see that being the case far down the road.
I want people I care about to really understand they have a choice,
and for all to fully understand it before making that choice.
That choice determines eternity.
I have said in past posts,
what do you have to lose if you choose to believe, only to find out it's a lie?
The answer is nothing.
You have nothing to lose.....
and so much to gain.
The alternative may be worth checking out....
it's my hope for each who reads this.
I am not a holy roller, Bible thumper, Religous freak,
I just took the time to educate myself and as a result experienced
what it is truly like to have a personal relationship with God.
It does not mean bad things won't happen in life, they have and they will.
It is, a peace in the midst of all that is happening today for example,.....and everyday to come.
It's my future....
~
I ask that those who choose to respond to this post,
not respond in a way that attacks something so very personal to me.
It's your choice to believe differently, you're important to me despite our differences!
I can promise, I will treat you in kind.....
it's what echos from my heart today.
