Giving up because of you

It’s all on you. Imagine if the good and the bad of people was blamed on you? People weren’t afraid to say you are the reason someone else isn’t held in high regard. What you did and how you act effects other people. This is true with faith. What if instead of a person it was God?

If you say one thing and do another it makes people question you. I was in high school and still trying to figure out what faith was all about.  I attended several different churches and talked about faith with several different friends. One friend invited me to church and infrequently I would go with him.

Seeing this guy at church and outside of church was a different world. This was a guy who drank, smoked, did drugs and would have sex with any girl he could. Once we got into church it was a different world. We were in a class and he was the one people looked up too. He had scripture memorized and would quote scripture as he talked. People would come up to him and tell him how amazing it is that he takes his faith so seriously. These same people would give me the dirtiest looks at church. A major reason I thought all Christians were hypocrites was because of friendships like this, people that lived one way and did another.

Paul calls out the people faithful to God at the time. In this case, if you were a follower of God during this time (Esp. before Jesus came) you were a Jew. Jesus was a Jew too. Romans 2 has some harsh words about these people that claimed faith but lived a different way. He said this in Romans 2:24, “As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

God is not lifted up among those without faith because of you. More and more studies show that most people have attended church for a while when they were younger and give it up after high school. One of the main reasons, Christians are hypocrites. They live one way Sunday morning and completely different during the week. When people know you are a Christian you represent God wherever you go.

Some people don’t mind representing God and are good examples of Jesus others are not. A while ago I talked to a student whose parent always talked down to them. This parent would say why aren’t you like Jimmy, Susie and Johnny (Made up people)? The student wanted to tell them because they drink, smoke and have sex all the time. This parent thought the people they mentioned were great Christians, but they had no idea. Little did they know their son was one that did none of the three.

We all make mistakes and misrepresent ourselves at times. As a Christian, I have done things that have turned people away from faith, I am not proud of that. I screw up and honestly don’t represent Jesus well at times. Yet Jesus forgives me and can forgive you too. Church was never meant for the perfect but the imperfect. The home of Jesus is meant for everyone no matter how righteous or unrighteous you are.

If someone has caused you to turn your back on God because of them, I’m sorry. Give God, Jesus and the Church another chance. What other place can you seek forgiveness like the Church? Don’t give up on Jesus because of the actions of a Christian. We can all make mistakes and God is a graceful and forgiving God. Jesus loves you.

Have a great day.

Telling a girl she has fat ankles

We all make mistakes, some small and some huge. Once while Hailee and I we were dating, I thought nobody ever jokes something is fat that isn’t. I thought about a bone or area of the body nobody says fat about.  I thought I was funny when I told Hailee she had fat ankles.  I didn’t think anything bad would happen because ankles are a bone, there is no way it’s fat. After Hailee went away and cried, I realized that it wasn’t funny.  It ends up it’s never ok to say anything is fat on a females body. I had to seek forgiveness on that one, thankfully she forgave me.

 

We are people that like to think we have all the right answers. Often at times we are so thickheaded we don’t realize the mistakes we are making. Paul tries to explain in Rome how people have messed up in history. He said this in Romans 1:21-23…

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.”

 

People messed up. During this time they saw the glory of God and amazing things he did. They still turned their backs on God. They relied on themselves instead of God. The people paid the price for that. A key line for this they thought they were wise and became fools. We like to think we have all the answers and yet can have none of the answers.

 

I still have a lot to learn about God. At times I have been foolish. I thought I couldn’t believe in a God that… and you can fill in the blank. I doubted faith a lot because there was a lot I didn’t know. I needed all the answers before I would follow Christ. Through talking with friends, I found out I would never have all the answers.

 

Even when you have all the answers, it doesn’t mean you do the right things. I could tell you how to eat healthy and lose weight. If I went to McDonalds, got four Mcdoubles, a large fry and a large drink, it would be over my daily calorie intake in one meal. You can be smart and still be an idiot.

 

Being smart is good, but if you don’t do anything with it or apply it to your life you’re a fool. Truly wise people can continue to learn and realize they don’t have all the answers. Maybe there is something that is keeping you from being the person you want to be. Or you would have faith in God accept you can’t accept why bad things happen in the world. It’s okay to seek help and get a deeper understanding. What do you need to do today to prove you are wise and not a fool? You can improve and continue to learn.

 

Have a great day.