- Feb 5, 2002
- 180,311
- 64,947
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
<B>By Rev. Cameron Douglas</B>
It isn't easy to be a Christian.
It is easy to be a Pharisee and to put all my little "religious" ducks in a row, say all the "right" things, pray all the right prayers and do all the expected things until I am comfortable with my religion.
That's easy, but that isn't Christianity.
I can be comfortable in my self-righteousness and judge everyone else for his or her sin and blindly ignore my own.
That's easy, but that isn't Christianity.
It's easy to love those who love me first.
It's easy to give and expect something in return, plus interest.
It's easy to turn my back and walk away without getting involved.
But those things are not Christianity.
As a Christian it is exactly those things I find myself struggling with.
I appreciate and understand very well that those bracelets and bumper stickers mean when someone proudly displays the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) monograms.
To begin to ask that question begins a sense of moral and ethical consciousness, which is great, but there is an awesome danger in WWJD.
I cannot be Christ-like!
I am unable but by the power of the Holy Spirit, to do as Christ would do.
I am fully human as Christ was fully human, but I am not anywhere close to being fully divine as Christ was fully divine.
What I can do is the etical and moral thing that most often is not the easiest thing to do.
Christ can judge others from the perspective of divine righteousness, I cannot.
Christ can call the religious elite of his day a brood of vipers.
I am in no position to do that.
It is easy to point the finger, but that isn't Christianity!
You and I have nothing to be self-righteous about to be someone's judge.
As Christians, you and I can be an instrument of God's compassinate, loving, grace-filled mercy (WWJD) through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring salvation and not condemnation to the world.
It must be the right thing to do because that's not easy.
It's been my experience that the easiest thing probably isn't the most ethical, moral and/or Christian thing to do!
It's so easy to go along with the crowd and not stand up for decency.
It's so easy to just let things slip by and ignore them such as not disciplining our children or working on our marriages.
It's so easy to step over to the other side of the road and go around, rather than get involved and help the poor fellow who was beaten and left for dead on the road to Jericho.
It's not easy being a Christian.
I'd rather be comfortable, sit and read those novels about the second coming and cheer when all those good-for-nothings get their comeuppance and to be so self-assured as to praise God for preparing a place in heaven for me.
But that's not even Christian.
I thank God everyday that He did not take the easy way out and stay in heaven.
I thank God that by the grace, love and mercy of Jesus Christ He got involved in my sin and died for me and arose that I may now seek to serve Him (WWJD).
Shouldn't you get involved?
Shouldn't you seek to know WWJD in this life, or is that too easy?
target=_blank>[url]http://www.pharostribune.com[/URL]
<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: postbit_signature -->
It isn't easy to be a Christian.
It is easy to be a Pharisee and to put all my little "religious" ducks in a row, say all the "right" things, pray all the right prayers and do all the expected things until I am comfortable with my religion.
That's easy, but that isn't Christianity.
I can be comfortable in my self-righteousness and judge everyone else for his or her sin and blindly ignore my own.
That's easy, but that isn't Christianity.
It's easy to love those who love me first.
It's easy to give and expect something in return, plus interest.
It's easy to turn my back and walk away without getting involved.
But those things are not Christianity.
As a Christian it is exactly those things I find myself struggling with.
I appreciate and understand very well that those bracelets and bumper stickers mean when someone proudly displays the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) monograms.
To begin to ask that question begins a sense of moral and ethical consciousness, which is great, but there is an awesome danger in WWJD.
I cannot be Christ-like!
I am unable but by the power of the Holy Spirit, to do as Christ would do.
I am fully human as Christ was fully human, but I am not anywhere close to being fully divine as Christ was fully divine.
What I can do is the etical and moral thing that most often is not the easiest thing to do.
Christ can judge others from the perspective of divine righteousness, I cannot.
Christ can call the religious elite of his day a brood of vipers.
I am in no position to do that.
It is easy to point the finger, but that isn't Christianity!
You and I have nothing to be self-righteous about to be someone's judge.
As Christians, you and I can be an instrument of God's compassinate, loving, grace-filled mercy (WWJD) through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring salvation and not condemnation to the world.
It must be the right thing to do because that's not easy.
It's been my experience that the easiest thing probably isn't the most ethical, moral and/or Christian thing to do!
It's so easy to go along with the crowd and not stand up for decency.
It's so easy to just let things slip by and ignore them such as not disciplining our children or working on our marriages.
It's so easy to step over to the other side of the road and go around, rather than get involved and help the poor fellow who was beaten and left for dead on the road to Jericho.
It's not easy being a Christian.
I'd rather be comfortable, sit and read those novels about the second coming and cheer when all those good-for-nothings get their comeuppance and to be so self-assured as to praise God for preparing a place in heaven for me.
But that's not even Christian.
I thank God everyday that He did not take the easy way out and stay in heaven.
I thank God that by the grace, love and mercy of Jesus Christ He got involved in my sin and died for me and arose that I may now seek to serve Him (WWJD).
Shouldn't you get involved?
Shouldn't you seek to know WWJD in this life, or is that too easy?
target=_blank>[url]http://www.pharostribune.com[/URL]
<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: postbit_signature -->
