I was writing about outward appearance and how God is interested in our hearts, but in the middle of writing a post about how other people like to look righteous with their slogan t-shirts and car bumper stickers I suddenly realised how much I am concerned about how righteous/humble/authentic/real I appear to people by writing blog post about how other people like to appear righteous by their slogan/bumper stickers! Ahhh, the irony. *sigh*
I'll share the last bit of the post though, because I still like it: :)
Then I thought about Jesus, because everything comes back to him really. I'm supposed to be his follower, so what does his life teach me?
Jesus was approachable, he could have come in a blaze of glory displaying his righteousness like a banner with everyone falling at his feet in wonder at his glory which is rightly his in all eternity, instead the King of the Universe when he lived as a man had only one set of simple clothes, he was homeless, his mode of transport was his feet and occasionally a young donkey, as a baby he was cradled in a feed trough and born to a woman not yet married, he didn't care that people called him names for befriending prostitutes and tax collectors because he cared more about the people than his image, he touched the untouchable diseased, he washed the dirty sweaty feet of his disciples, he called his betrayer 'friend', and he forgave those who spat in his face who lashed him to the brink of death and then crucified him.
It wasn't his bumper sticker that told people who he was, it wasn't his clothes, it wasn't his blog post, it was his life.
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ~ 1 Peter 3:3-4 ESV
5 comments:
I so understand your conundrum -
There's more to it than meets the eye in this Christianity!
It bears much thought. :)
I read this a few days ago, but finally had some thoughts to share.
I know I've been struggling with some of the things people believe are "right" as I watch our world change. I've avoided saying anything about it and will continue not to say anything because knowing me it will come out all wrong and sound really bad. Besides that, though, God told me another reason why. :) Because, for me, I'm starting to become very hard and bitter about it all. So I prayed to Him and asked that He'd help me to not become so bitter and hard. I find it difficult to love these people, but I know it's what they need (it's really what they are crying out for and asking for it in any way they can). And like you said here it was Jesus' life that made him approachable.
Thanks for the good reminder. :)
Like I said to Melissa, there's more to Christianity than meets the eye! LOL
The hardest thing for me is living it - really living it. It's so easy to talk about it, but so hard to do it. To not be interested in how righteous/kind/loving I look/sound/am, but be really deeply interested in people like Jesus was (is!) interested in people. To care about people with no preconceptions, to not avoid one person because I know they're like this or that. It is hard. So hard because I read the news and we see what is going on in the world - all the pain and nastiness.
My thought is perhaps Christians in general approach things wrong as a church, our self-view is as if we are from the 'top' looking down and asking people to come up to our 'standards' - thus betraying the fact that we don't see ourselves as sinners saved, but deep down we think we are actually 'better than everyone else' (even though we say salvation is a gift of grace from God. When Jesus approached people he did it the other way around. He became nothing that others might become something.
I ask myself can I become nothing in the world's eyes to reach out to people for God?
It's so hard to actually live it.
I think you said my thoughts way better than I ever could've. :)
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