Instead of an occasional random act of kindness, my goal is to live a daily lifestyle of intentionally being kind to everyone I encounter (whether I want to be kind to them or not). Unfortunately, I fall short of that goal and can easily be unkind. Sometimes I ignore people. Sometimes I speak harshly. Sometimes I am rude. When I am unkind, I ask people and God to forgive me. As a Christ-follower my unkindness can cause people to hear what I say about Jesus as “blah, blah, blah.” That’s one reason I strive to be kind to all.
When people hear “blah, blah, blah,” from Christians what we say is blah, blah, blocked from their awareness and they walk away unaware of the reality of the living, resurrected Jesus. It’s a great sin when Christians bore people with the most exciting news in human history–the invasion of planet earth by the God-man, Jesus the Christ.
One reason multitudes of people don’t hear, comprehend, and surrender to the Good News about Jesus is because of the way it is presented. It is presented as religious theory, as ancient history, as church routine, and as prideful theology, instead of as present-day reality. It is lectured about in formal Sunday sermons instead of being openly testified about with heart-felt vulnerability, gratitude, and humility that radiates from Christians’ faces and from their daily lives. If we want people to be able to hear about and receive Christ’s present-day forgiveness and life-transforming power, we need to point them to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, passionately testify about how Jesus has become real and active in our daily lives, and lay down our self-protection, self-righteousness, and self-focus. (See Revelation 12:11.)
The world wants inclusion. Inclusion! This biblical inclusion is usually ignored by Christians. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We human beings have “all” fallen into a rebellious self-focused mess. That includes each one of us. We all need God’s mercy, forgiveness, and ongoing restoration. “There is none righteous, no not one.” Will you join with the tax collector in the Bible who “beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me a sinner!’”? “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
If instead of joining the blame game parade, Christians would obey God’s “If my people,” instructions, He would heal our land. (See 2 Chronicles 7:14.)
If you don’t find Jesus to be exciting throughout each day, there’s still much that you aren’t yet experiencing about Him. Open wide your heart to Jesus and keep it open every day and every night.
When there’s no heart-felt thrill
About God’s gift of Christ,
People won’t believe
That Jesus is real.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Fill Your Mind and Your Heart With Hope 