Tuesday 21 June 2016

Christian Lifestyle

Christian Lifestyle
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
 and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 
for I am gentle and humble in heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
Matthew 11:28-30.
If you were in a position to give the people around you peace and rest would you? OR would you push people away. Tell them they are no good and don’t deserve what you are offering.
I think any person in their right mind would offer the peace and rest to all. Yet many calling themselves Christians push people away from the peace and rest that Jesus has to offer.
I hear it from non-Christians all the time. They say Christians look down on them or act like they have a “special sin”. They see some calling themselves Christians as judgmental prejudice and bigots.
They look at the lives of those claiming to be Christians and say “why should I become a Christian. I live as good a life as them if not better.
I as a Christian, with admittedly as many flaws as anyone can see were non-Christians are coming from.
Christians need to be careful with respect to how they act and speak. Christianity is first and foremost a way of life, a lifestyle committed to Christ, committed to God.
We are to do as Jesus would do and that means loving God, our neighbour, our enemy and praying for our persecutors. We cannot do less.
Christians are not to judge anyone outside their faith. Jesus saying,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”Matthew 7:1,2.
The apostle Paul telling us,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
We as Christians are to tell people about the love and grace of God through Jesus Christ. We are sinners as much as anyone. The apostle Paul reminding us,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23,24.
When Paul said “ALL”, he meant all you, me everyone who has ever been born. There is no big or little sin, no special sin. Sin is sin and sin separates us from God.
By judging someone outside of our faith we are sinning. Sinning is anything that is contrary to what God wants for your life.
An intense light shines on Christians. The eternal resting place of those we meet may depend on how we act and what we say to others. We cannot do anything less that show them love. Love the apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians, when he says,
“Love is patient, love is kind. 
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 
it is not easily angered, 
it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not delight in evil 
but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 
But the greatest of these is love.”  
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.
If we claim to be Christians we need to look at how we interact with others. We need to ask ourselves are we showing the love of God to all people or is our life, lifestyle and what we say turning people away?
Please think about it.

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