You are a What?

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”  I John 2:1-3

There are verses in the Bible that are so comforting that they are like a hug.  Other verses are “ouchy”, more like a pinch.  This is one of those “ouchy” verses.  You say you love the Lord…prove it!  Does your life show that you know him and love him?  Are you doing what he says do?  If not, then you must not know him well.  That’s the Bible, not my opinion.

I have been to funerals before for people that I was sure were not Christians because I had never seen Christ-like behavior from them.  Only to be amazed when the pastor preached them right into heaven because of their belief in Christ.  Friend, the people around us should not have a doubt in their minds of whether or not we are a believer!

Working in the secular realm I am constantly surprised at people who one second talk about their strong belief in prayer and in the next breath speak profanity.  I have been in public with Christians and have them be so rude and inconsiderate until I was sure no one would suspect them of Christianity.  And can I be real?  Sometimes the “supposed to be a Christian” one was me.  I have been impatient with cashiers, waitresses or people in traffic.  Can we all be honest enough to say that if someone was doing surveillance on our lives they may find conflicting “proof” about our salvation?

I have heard Joyce Meyer, both live and on TV, exhorting the people who attend her meeting to act like Christians in the community.  She said that once she put on a conference in her home town and heard people in the community say that they dreaded conference time because Christians were some of the stingiest and rudest people their business had encountered.  What a shame!

I do not go to a hair stylist with bad hair!  I go see someone who looks as good as I would like to look.  I do not buy beauty products from someone whose skin looks like leather.  I buy it from someone who looks younger than their age.  This same logic applies to church and Christianity.  I only want to go to a church where there are people who act like I want to act.  Who show me what serving God looks like.  I want to be a person that others can follow me all the way to Jesus!  Paul said “Follow me as I follow Christ.”  If someone followed you, would it lead them to or from Christ?

Lord, show me the commandments that I have failed you in.  Help me to be someone whose life points back to you.  Forgive me where I have failed you.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Where in the World Am I?

Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  I John 2:15

Have you ever stopped to think what it means to love the world?  I have.  Unfortunately, it tends to happen during a season that I am under conviction because I have begun to look at what everybody has and what all I want. 

Our culture is geared toward identifying what you want in life and going for it.  Media makes us feel like the worldly things are “must-have’s” for everyone.  You deserve it; and in fact, you are nothing without it. If you do not have the latest Smartphone; iPod; flat screen TV; or flashy new car, you are a “nobody.”  Christians live in the same world as everybody else. We are all hearing the same messages and humanistic ideals.  If we are not careful, we can become as guilty as someone who does not know Christ in coveting all the world has to offer.

Many times the offerings of the world are polar opposites to the righteous decrees of God’s Word.  The world says you deserve to be treated right, give your spouse an ultimatum and find someone who will love you like you deserved to be loved.  The Bible says that God hates divorce.  The world says that it is normal, and in fact healthy, to have many intimate partners.  The Bible calls all such relationships outside of marriage, sin.  The world says look out for number one; the Bible says love your neighbor as yourself.

Though we live in the world, the Bible teaches we are not of the world.  Are you uncomfortable living here?  If not, you may be living too close to the world.  Are you wearing all the latest styles?  Do you read all the same parenting books?  It may be time to re-evaluate your choices.

The Lord does not want us to be different just to be whacky hold-outs in society.  He expects us to be different so that people will have an opportunity to encounter God in this world.  People need to see us, admire us and want what we have.  To turn from the world does not mean you begin to hate everyone who has a different opinion.  It does not mean you preach at everyone about what they are doing wrong.

This world is our mission field.  We need to work at finding ways to build relationship with people who are different than us.  Jesus sat and ate with sinners.  But he was strong enough to not allow the world to influence him.  Rather, he influenced the world. 

If you are like me, there is a lot of room for improvement in this area.  Every now and then, it is prudent to take stock of where you are, where you are going, and what things in life matter to you.  God does not mind us having nice things, pretty clothes, or cool gadgets.  As the saying goes, we can have those things as long as they do not have us!

Dear Lord, please forgive me for adopting the attitudes of the world and for desiring the things the world has to offer.  Help me be satisfied with all the good gifts you give me.  Help me be a person of impact in the lives of others.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

To Know Him is to Obey Him

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”  I John 2:3

 Are the commands of Jesus optional?  Many Christians live as if they can approach the Bible as a menu.  They pick and choose which commands they want to obey, and those which they want to skip.  They choose promises they want to stand on, but ignore rebukes and warnings.  Is such a person a Christian at all?

According to this passage, the proof that we know Christ is IF we obey his commands.  If we read the Word, if we put it into practice, then we can be sure we know Him.

This truth seems so simplistic and elementary that you may be wondering why I would belabor the point at all.  I guess the bottom-line for me is the number of people who would check “Christian” as a religious preference, but yet do nothing that would affiliate them with Christ in word or deed.  There is no proof they are following His path.

Jesus paid the price for our sin.  We cannot add anything to His sacrifice.  The bill for our redemption is paid in full.  But that does not mean that following Christ will not cost us anything.  The commands of Jesus are often foreign to our fleshly nature and therefore are difficult to carry out.  But carry them out, we must, if we know Christ.

There are many public figures that I feel I know because I have read so much about them, or watched enough of their shows. But if someone were to tell them that I was there to see them, their response would be “Sherri who?”

I want to live in such a way that I can be sure I know Christ and He can be sure that He knows me.  We have to live a life of convincing proof, because as the Bible declares, we are an epistle of God, read of all men.  (II Cor. 3:2)

Dear Lord, help me to live out your commands.  Please help me to be steadfast in following you; letting your Word be my guide rather than my own feelings.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

The Favor of God

“Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins.  So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.”  Esther 2:17 

The account of how an orphaned Jewess became the Queen of Susa is full of many remarkable features and themes.  But one theme stands out in particular- how God causes his favor to rest on people to bring about his plan for mankind. 

The book of Esther is unusual in that the name of God is not expressly mentioned; and yet, the hand of God is seen throughout the book, especially in the life of young Esther. 

In her early years, she is orphaned, having lost both her father and mother.  She has to go live with her cousin and his family.  In addition, she is born a Jew where her people are living in exile in Persia.    Being a Jew indicated that she was of the people who are the apple of God’s eye, but a stench in the nostrils of many in the world.  All of these things put Esther in less than a favorable position to be queen.  Queens are traditionally chosen from other royal families, seldom is a Queen chosen from a minority race and certainly not an orphan.

The Bible doesn’t say much else about her childhood, but one thing we can agree on- her start was less than favorable.  But this story proves that God can make something beautiful out of anything.  We just have to be yielded for him to do his work.  We don’t have to be the prettiest, the smartest, from the best family, from the best schools, etc.  We just have to know our place in the Kingdom. 

This is where His ability to make us qualified comes into play.  When the way we view ourselves differs from the way He sees us, we must change our mind!  When Satan comes with condemnation telling us we are unworthy, reminding us of our past, our shortcomings, our failure, all we have to do is remind him (and ourselves) about what the Bible says about us.

God is all we need.  He has all the resources we can ever need.  He knows the areas we must improve and the areas we must crucify.  He plants within us the germ of all we need to fulfill our destiny, but it is only realized as we submit to God, much as Esther submitted to those in authority over her.

The favor of God caused Esther to be crowned queen above all the other young virgins in the land.  Favor is defined as the state of being approved or held in high regard.  It can also mean preferential treatment.  The truth is that God can make other people look at us favorably.  He can cause others to want to bless us, to promote us, and to give us opportunities.

As a Christian, we do not have to manipulate and connive like the world does.  If there is something that God wills for us, we can trust Him to cause us to find favor with the right people at the right time to bring us into our destiny.

Dear Lord, allow your favor to rest on me today.  Fulfill your plans and purposes for me.  Help me to not rest upon my own abilities, but rather to walk and trust in your divine favor. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri