Continuing our “It’s been said about…” series, this month we’re looking at some things that have been said about the Christian life.
We talk all the time about the fact that our life can be the best way of telling other students about Jesus, but if that’s true (and it is), then the opposite is also true. Check out some things that a few well-know people have had to say about living this thing we call Christianity.
“If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.” - Mahatma Ghandi
“I would have met Jesus sooner if not for Christians who led double lives.” - Keith Green
“I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more Redeemed.” - Fredrick Nietzsche
“It has always seemed unfair to me that many churches (and some individual Christians) keep careful records on how many converts they make to Christianity, but never keep any record of how many they drive away from Christ!” - Ray C. Stedman
Ouch.
Before we dismiss these people as close-minded critics of Christianity, we should realize that all of all of these people were at different points of openess to Christianity. Keith Green became a Christian and Ray Stedman was successful pastor and Christian author.
There is no doubt that our lives can send people running from Christ in the same way as draw people to Him.
But what do we do about it? We aren’t perfect. We are all “sinners.” We all find hypocrisy in our own lives upon careful examination. We all let pride, anger and insecurity win out over our deepest convictions sometimes. So what is a struggling Christian to do?
First – try harder. We’ve got to take this seriously. Our “that’s just the way I am” doesn’t fly as an excuse with God. He wants us to be better. We can’t dismiss the consequenses of our own actions with a “there will always be an excuse to not follow Jesus for some” reasoning. Ultimately, people will stand before God and no excuse will matter, but we’ll give an account for “every careless word” we speak (Matthew 12:36 -NIV).
Second – apologize more often. Our pride gets in the way of a chance to show that we know our actions don’t line up with the lifestyle of Christianity. People know when we mess up, so let’s show them that we know it too.
Third – talk about your struggles. We don’t need to pretend we’ve got it all together in matters of faith, purity and love. Be real with people – they’ll get it.
Many things have “been said about…” living the Christian life, but what others say about your life is what’s most important. The Bible says it like this:
“Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath.” (1 Peter 3:16 MSG).
That’s a quote to live by.
Youth Alive
Pray. Live. Tell. Serve.
Give.
