CHRIST, THE HUMBLE
Philippians 2:3 says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” (NLT)
There are days where I am very ashamed and embarrassed to call myself a Christian. The behavior associated with the Christian name is appalling. I hear it everywhere. There are websites dedicated to it, including one called Sundays are the Worst.
As a customer service representative, I have seen this behavior first hand, and what I have experienced is unbelievable. People claiming to be Christians lying and cheating with an unbelievable self-righteous, entitled attitude. If I hadn’t been saved already, I would never want anything to do with the kind of god associated to them.
I wish I could say it was exaggerated. I wish I could say the media loves to report nothing but horrible things about the church. I wish I could live with the comfortable ignorance that this kind of behavior didn’t drive lost souls away from God, instead of saving them.
However, my own personal experience has taught me different, and the non-believers I’ve encountered have every right to be angry and not to trust me. Every time I encounter a non believer who wouldn’t listen to me, even if Christ himself entered the room, I find myself wondering why.
Why did the “Christian” who drove you to this impression give him/herself the right to ignore their calling, all for the sake of some personal gratification?
It violates EVERYTHING that Christ called us to do.
Mathew 28:19-20: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NLT)
To those doubtful nonbelievers, I can assure you. You are not alone. The same Christian who look down your nose at you have also spent a good deal of time looking down their nose at their fellow Christian of a more liberal nature, including myself.
- How dare I wear that swimsuit.
- How dare I wear jeans to church.
- How dare I work on a Sunday.
- How dare I enjoy, let alone watch, this or that film.
- How dare I support my Reverend mother.
- How dare I associate myself with someone running such an “inappropriate” facebook page.
- How dare I write down my own personal thoughts.
- How dare I be anything else than what they expect me to be.
For this, I say to them, how dare you.
How dare you for not following calling given to you by Christ himself.
Shame. SHAME. SHAME .
The very definition of Christian is “one who follows Christ.”
If you are not using the gospels to guide your daily life, than you have no business calling yourself a Christian.
So, who is Christ?
Christ was a poor, humble, selfless man. He never judged, only taught and forgave. Even knowing he was the son of God, he remained humble before the Lord. He threw himself at the mercy of God, the Father, when he prayed. He resisted Satan’s offer to rule the Earth. He took every opportunity to show people God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. He dared to associate with society’s outcasts. He touched the untouchables. Above all, he lived what he preached.
So, I ask you, my so-called fellow Christians. What have you done to follow His example? What have you done to embody God’s unconditional love? What have you done to earn the trust of our lost fellows?
If your answer is nothing, then you need a new approach.
