To Be a Christian

My Christian radio station, Air 1, sent me a Daily Verse this morning.  It’s wonderful how it is, but I saw another way to look at it.  Here it is with my alteration:

Christians never give up, never lose faith, are always hopeful, and endure through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:7

We of all people should have an optimistic view of life.  We shouldn’t be walking around discouraged and beaten down.  We know there is more to this life than just surviving it.  God is on our side!  So never give up, never lose faith, always be hopeful, and endure!  Be an example to the people around you.  Shine!

The Plot Against Jesus

Yes, I know I’m jumping ahead.  We just celebrated Christmas.  But when God leads you to greater understanding, you don’t quarrel with Him.  You just go along for the ride.

I find it amazing that I’m still learning.  I grew up in a Christian church, and I became a true Christian in 1991.  Yet I’m still grasping new truths all the time.  Thank God!  I don’t want the Scriptures to become dusty and commonplace.  They still hold a lot of mystery for me, so I keep coming back for more.

Okay, back to the topic that started this post.  You probably know that the chief priests and Pharisees accompanied the soldiers when they arrested Jesus.  But why did they hate Him so much?  The answer is right there in the Bible.  I found it in John, chapter 3, starting with verse 19:

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Verse 20: Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” 

Jesus states the facts clearly.  Since every man is a sinner, you can bet the chief priests and Pharisees were as guilty as everyone else.  They probably felt some pressure to behave better than the common man.  Jesus made them feel like failures, I’m sure.  His words convicted them.  Not a good feeling.  So they despised Him.

Think of yourself.  When you’re sinning, you don’t feel very close to God, do you?  You know what you’re doing is wrong.  Perhaps you mentally step away from God, hoping He won’t notice what you’re up to.  If you took a minute to remember Jesus and His words, I bet you’d feel convicted, just like those chief priests and Pharisees. 

That’s the whole point!  The Bible is full of good and bad examples, models to follow and warnings of what not to do.  Let’s decide today not to be a Pharisee, okay?