I was having a conversation with my friend one day over dinner. He pointed out how he found some Christians that he had met very offensive. The whole message about death and hell didn't seem like a very pleasant subject. Being a christian myself, I felt the need to explain to my friend that even if some Christians may come on too strong, it was essential that we preach the gospel. However, I refrained from doing so because I knew no matter how much I may try to explain, it still requires the Holy Spirit to help him understand the true message of the gospel. He went on to say that he would prefer Christians who focused on how they lived their life rather than preaching all the time.
A few days later I was going through some of Michael w. Smith’s songs and I came across the song “live the life”, which was basically a song about being true to walking the christian life just as the Lord Jesus Christ did. I recalled the conversation that I had with my friend and I came to realize that even though I don’t agree that just because the gospel is offensive to some, we shouldn’t preach the truth, but many times, I find words are often easier spoken than lived. In some ways my friend seem to be teaching me that if you want to preach, first show me through your life. Clichéd as this subject has been, but it keeps us (or me for that matter) reminded that how often the mouth should stop talking and let silence bring us to a state of self evaluation and let life speak its story.
only getting started
I just attended one of the ministry meetings that my church have after conferences, and it was a really good meeting. One of the brothers sharing was sharing on the priesthood of every believer in the church. He had some very strong and strict points on how a believer should take his/her priesthood seriously. The points that he brought up made me re-evaluate my own priesthood in church. Somehow being mostly surrounded by people who are not of the same belief have diluted my own standard of how a believer should carry out their priestly responsibilities.
One of the points that the brother shared was that if we still hold on to worldy things, it will directly blunt our sensitivity towards God's things. I thought to myself that after more than ten years of being saved, how much have I really applied that truth in my life. The more i review my life the more i see myself as one who is unable to let go of many things that still holds me down from growing in the Lord. What may seem to others as a religious or staunch christian is not what it seems, becuase we all measure with our own standard which is way below what God has intended believers to be.
When i think of what God would think when he sees me being complacent with the state I am in, I am almost sure he would shake His head and say to me:" My child, do not think of yourself more highly then you are, I am only getting started in the process of changing you to the man I want you to be, so get on your feet and follow me." I guess no matter how long or how far you are in this pilgrimage on earth, you can never be satisfied, for there is so much more to the life God has for us, then what it seems.
One of the points that the brother shared was that if we still hold on to worldy things, it will directly blunt our sensitivity towards God's things. I thought to myself that after more than ten years of being saved, how much have I really applied that truth in my life. The more i review my life the more i see myself as one who is unable to let go of many things that still holds me down from growing in the Lord. What may seem to others as a religious or staunch christian is not what it seems, becuase we all measure with our own standard which is way below what God has intended believers to be.
When i think of what God would think when he sees me being complacent with the state I am in, I am almost sure he would shake His head and say to me:" My child, do not think of yourself more highly then you are, I am only getting started in the process of changing you to the man I want you to be, so get on your feet and follow me." I guess no matter how long or how far you are in this pilgrimage on earth, you can never be satisfied, for there is so much more to the life God has for us, then what it seems.
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