Monday, July 18, 2011

Live Like Jesus

Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world. -- 1 Peter 2:12

What does a Christian look like? Are Christians short or tall, bald or hairy, white, black, brown? Are Christians wealthy or poor? Do they reside only in the United States or anywhere? Silly questions, I know. But sometimes trying to find a Christian in all the public rhetoric seems silly too.

In his book Being Gray in a World of Black and White, Adam Hamilton noted that when he asked people why they didn’t attend church, they told him they liked Jesus but didn’t like Christians. We should all take a moment to think about that.

Hamilton, of course, didn’t stop with one question. He asked them to explain why they didn’t like Christians. The labels weren’t surprising. Hypocritical. Narrow-minded. You get the idea.

Of course, most Christians aren’t that way. You’re probably not that way. But, honestly, I could name quite a few who are. I’m sure they don’t see themselves in that light but every time you think that someone needs to “clean up his” act before he comes to church, you’re being exactly that way.

But the people who really give Christians a bad name are those in the public realm who are vocal with their narrow opinions and claim to speak for all of us. They are, Hamilton notes, the black-or-white opinion folks who refuse to even contemplate a gray area in between. I suppose they can’t see the gray because they refuse to listen to anyone whose opinion differs from their own.

That’s why those of us who do see the gray really need to get vocal about it. That doesn’t mean we throw out our values or the Bible or anything else that helps us determine right from wrong. It simply means that we listen to what other people have to say and try to understand where they’re coming from.
We forget sometimes that Jesus didn’t condemn the sinners. When He got angry, it was almost always at the religious groups who were so busy trying to make everyone keep their laws that they failed in the most basic areas of faith. Compassion. Love. Forgiveness. Mercy.

We can disagree with others without condemning them. We can live according to our Biblical interpretations without looking down on those who interpret things differently. Even as He hung dying on a cross, Jesus sought forgiveness for those who had murdered Him. And, yet, we condemn someone simply for having an opinion that is different from our own.

People see our behavior and group us under one big label titled Christians. How we live, how we respond to criticism, can impact how someone sees Jesus. We’re suppose to draw people toward Him, not push them away. Next time stop and think, listen and learn. Show someone who Jesus really is by living like He really does live inside of you.