There is something very comfortable about spending a few hours with a like-minded friend. We reinforce each other's thoughts, ideas, feelings and beliefs. It's comforting and makes us feel good. But we were not created just to please ourselves. We were created for a much bigger purpose. As a Christ follower, I am asked ~ and expected ~ to love on the world and make them feel comforted regardless of my relationship to them or their relationship to Christ.
I was listening to a radio show on Mark Twain's new biography, which includes some never-before-published writings that revealed his vile dislike of Christianity ~ not just the religion but even of God and His Son. Twain referenced a multitude of reasons why including hypocrisy, judgmental attitudes, money grubbing, blood shed in His name and more. It pains me.
It pains me that many call themselves Christ followers but do not live as Christ. It pains me that the world viewed then, and continues to view now, Christianity with disdain. It pains me that Christians are one of the reasons God or Christ is rejected.
Christ followers are called to reflect His glory and instead we allow evil to stand the gap. Jesus commanded believers to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:38). There was no qualification to that word "neighbor," it was all inclusive. It pains me that someone rejects Christ because I have rejected her first by not passing on the love that was freely given to me.
1 comment:
Your words ring true, Casey. I have the same pain and often tell my non-believing friends who say these type of things that the "Christians" they are reacting to don't reflect the true loving God.
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