Branded for Christ

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called..."  "Be imitators of God, as beloved children." - Ephesians 4:1 and 5:1

Like the soda bottles above are branded with the name of their maker, so we who are in Christ are "branded" as children of God. Each type of soda also has it's own particular traits, causing it to stand out from the others. Even amongst a shelf full of knock-off flavors, everybody still notices the brand-name sodas, bold as ever. Could the same be said of us?

In a place filled with pleasant, decent, yet unbelieving people, do we still stand out as those who are adopted by God? Do we think about our heavenly Father enough to converse about him with our fellow believers and those who may happen to ask about our faith? Are we actively looking for the great things that He is doing in our lives and the lives of those around us? Do we know God well enough to be imitators of Him, or are we merely satisfied to follow our society's rules for being the same type of "good person" that everyone else is?

 We're bound to embrace our "brand". Consider which one you hold the hardest to.

Sin and Temptation (is there a difference?)

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." - James 1:12-15

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

Two facts: 1.) We all have temptations which draw us towards particular sins. 2.) All of us at some point have sinned by giving into those temptations.

Those temptations can manifest themselves in a myriad of ways; we can be prone to a bad temper, discontentment, or gossip; we could be lustful towards other people, whether they be the opposite gender or the same as us; we can even have strong urges towards theft, manipulation, or murder. The list can go on and on! It isn't a sin for us to have such temptations plaguing us in our lives- it is, in fact, unfortunately normal, due to humanity having a sinful fallen nature. It does, however, become sin when we act upon those urges that pop into our minds and cause us to break God's law.

A frequent problem I notice among Christians (and have even had myself!) is to take note of the more obvious types of sin and temptation we see in others' lives and decide in our heads (and sometimes even out loud) that, "Nobody who does that could be a child of God." But what right have we to do that? We may be tempted and sin in different ways than other people, but remember, James 2:10 states that "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." What's that mean? You and whoever you're looking at are in the same place. Stop trying to hold a moral high ground and pray for both them and yourself. Treat them how you wish to be treated, no matter what kind of person you observe them to be, remembering that you're both people made in the image of God. Be a genuine example of true Christlike love. Encourage positive change in them, and even more importantly, be changed more and more to the likeness of Jesus yourself.

Sometimes The Cornfield Dies

I was incredibly disappointed to be told that there would be no corn maze this year. Every October it is a local activity that I look forward to with great enthusiasm. There is nothing quite like the smell of the hay and a slight breeze blowing through the impenetrable walls of corn as you stumble through dark pathways at night with your friends for a few hours. Though it isn't the best photo, I still look at that shot above with fond memories of last fall.

From what I was told, the city planted a whole field, but what little of it grew ended up dying because the conditions just weren't right for it this season. I had to pause after receiving that information; the story is all too familiar...

"He [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” - Matthew 13:3-9

This parable is about evangelism- telling others about the person and work of Christ. Somehow we tend to get the idea that we do not succeed in our evangelism unless the person says a prayer and is converted. The thing is, causing people to get saved isn't fully on our shoulders- yes, we should tell others about Christ; we are His chosen means of spreading the word (Mark 16:15), however God is the one who saves (1 Corinthians 1:19). We are just in charge of "sowing the seeds", as the parable puts it; the results of our efforts are up to God.

Don't get discouraged if people don't believe in God right away after a conversation with you- pray for them, befriend them, keep good conversation going, and leave the rest to God. He will save His chosen ones in His timing, whether you are around to see the end result or not. Perhaps He will use you and you will never know- it's that element of not knowing that keeps us humble.

...And Proud Of It.

Tip: Don't limit yourself to seeing what the tourists see. Get creative and look for the little details when you go on a vacation trip (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Several months ago, I had the privilage of taking an amazing vacation trip to Texas. As soon as I got off the plane, the first thing I noticed was Texas' signature Lone Star. It seems pretty standard for most places to display their state flag or insignia to welcome guests at their local airport. 

During my two-week stay, I quickly realized that Texas isn't the average state- these guys are extremely proud of who they are, and they're going to let you know it; I saw the Lone Star and Texas flag EVERYWHERE. Any place that people can be found, there is a little reminder that you are in Texas. It was on the freeway overpass, nearly every business, most homes, shirts, windows, bridges, floor mats- even their sewer covers are adorned with it!

Now, let me ask you this: If the Texans can be this proud of who they are and where they live, shouldn't we, as Christians, be even more proud of who we are and of the spiritual kingdom of which we are a part of? Shouldn't those around us be aware of who we are? God never called us to be part of a covert operations team- He called us to boldly proclaim the gospel and live out life as Jesus did.

I pray we can immitate Paul in what he said to the church in Rome- "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16)