"Christian"

I wonder what people think when they say that they are a Christian. Perhaps this is on my mind because Easter is a week away. Perhaps it is because i read my journal entry from the night I watched the Passion the first time. Perhaps it is because I am working on a lesson on Salvation for Sunday's FLO Bible Study. Perhaps I am just feeling...something.

It seems at times that being a Christian in the South is a given. Like everyone expects a person to believe in Jesus. For many, it doesn't matter how you live or what you believe or who you hang out with or how you talk or how you dress or what you put in your body. People will curse (GD, MF, and SOB), talk about relationships outside marriage, getting drunk, or being homosexual and in the same breath talk about going to church and Sunday school..  It seems at times like some people say they are a Christian as if being a Christian is the "other" choice on a multiple choice test. As if to say, "Well, I'm not Muslim, I'm not Jewish, I'm not Buddist, I'm not Morman, I'm not Jehovah Witness...I must be a Christian." This hurts my heart. There is SO much more to aligning myself with Christ than just not beliving the things other religions believe. I believe the things Christ taught and I WANT to live my life in a way that shows others what Christ was and is all about.

Jesus Christ died for me. For me! Ages before I was born, ages before i could choose to follow Him, He DIED for me. He suffered. He bled. He was beaten. He was spat on. He was cursed, laughed at, and mocked. My Lord, My God, My Savior died for me...to save me, to restore me, to redeem me.

Knowing that there was no way for me to ever live a sin-free life. Knowing that I would have "bad" thoughts, do "bad" things, and  that I would fail daily in my attempts to serve Him whole heartedly and have no other gods before Him. Knowing that I would be a rebellous child, and a heard headed adult, He chose to die for me.

Being a Christian is to align myself with Christ. Being a Christian is to desire to lead others to know Him. Being a Christian is to desire my life to be a reflection of Christ so that those who know me will want to know Him. Being a Christian is to believe that the Bible is true and that the truths found there are relevant and unchanging. Being a Christian is to be in love with my Savior. Being a Christian is to yearn to meet Jesus in worship. Being a Christian is to live my life for His glory.

I love Him. He saved me once for all from eternal death and He saves me daily from myself. I love Him. I believe Him. I trust Him. I follow Him. I want my life to be a reflection of Him. I am thankful for the opportunity to be In The Battle. I am thrilled that He would trust me to care for one of His Pastors. I am humbled that He would use me daily to share his love with the people in  my life.

That is only a little explanation of what it means to me to be a Christian, and even that is SO much more than a casual assumption based on what i am not. More than NOT being any of the religions I mentioned earlier....i AM a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus.

Thankfuly, He takes everyone, even me. No matter what I did before I met Him, and no matter how many times I do NOT live my life in a way that reflects His life and His love now that I have met him, He calls me His own.

If you have given your life to Him, HE calls YOU His own too.

Hugs,

K

When things are not so great

This has been a very tough week for several of my friends.

Christie has a baby at the daycare whose mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when the baby was 6 weeks old. Mom died this week. Left the daddy with 3 little kids....one of whom will never remember her mommy.

A friend at work lost his wife. Left behind a teenage son. Tragic.

My precious friends Mike and Sherry got the news we've all been dreading...Mike is going to Hospice. I was just looking at pics from Super Bowl 2009...Mike was cutting up with the other guys. So sad to have to say goodbye to good friends. I can't imagine what Sherry must be feeling.

I'm worried about my little sister. She has been posting things on FB that make me think she is unhappy. Of course, she always says that she is fine. She probably is.

I don't really have much else to say. Like I said in the beginning, it has been a sad week. There are times when there just are no good words to say. In the 3 families I mentioned earlier, well, it just stinks. There is no way to make them really feel better. Part of their life has been taken and that just hurts. It just hurts and there really is nothing to say other than "I am so sorry that you are walking this road, and I am here if you need me"

I like the new song by Matthew West.......

  

Save a Place for Me

Don’t be mad if I cry

It just hurts so bad sometimes

‘Cause everyday it’s sinking in

And I have to say goodbye all over again

You know I bet it feels good to have the weight of this world

Off your shoulders now

I’m dreaming of the day

When I’m finally there with you

Save a place for me

Save a place for me

I’ll be there soon

I’ll be there soon

Save a place for me

Save some grace for me

I’ll be there soon

I’ll be there soon

I have asked the question why

But I guess the answer’s for another time

So instead I’ll pray

With every tear

And be thankful for the time I had you here

And I wanna live my life

Just like you did

Make the most of my time

Just like you did

And I wanna make my home up in the sky

Just like you did

Oh, but until I get there

Until I get there

Save a place for me

The ONLY good thing we can offer those who are suffering with grief is that there IS the promise of heaven. If Jesus is Lord of our lives, if we accept his gift of salvation, then we can indeed look forward to a time when there will be no more tears, no more loss, no more sadness, no more grief. Until the time comes for us to join them in heaven, we can rest in the arms of our Savior, knowing that He understands our hurts. He alone knows how much it hurts.

In their CD jacket, where they talk about all the songs, Mercy Me says that "Homesick" is how they feel about Heaven, They said that they are hurting because they have lost loved ones, but that they are JEALOUS of the ones that have gone on to Heaven because THOSE people are actually in the presence of the One we live for. I like that. It has stuck with me. I am looking forward to Heaven and i too am a bit jealous of those that are already there.

hugs,

K