The Christian Lifestyle

Chuckle: Teacher: “What happened in 1809?” Eddie: “Abraham Lincoln was born.” Teacher: “Right. Now, what happened in 1812?” Eddie: “He turned three years old.”

Quote: “Morality does not make a Christian, yet no man can be a Christian without it.” --Daniel Wilson

"And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father" (Colossians 3:17 NLT).

We often hear references to the Christian lifestyle or way of life. It's easy for us to assume that we are living the way Christ desires us to live. Perhaps we are, and perhaps we're not. I believe we all would say we want to live a wholesome and holy Christian life. But we all know we have not reached the level of holiness that our Lord desires for us. The key question is not "am I all I ought to be as a Christian?" Rather it is "am I in the process of becoming the Christian God wants me to be?"

By bearing the name "Christians, we are representatives of Christ whether we choose to be or not! We cast Jesus in a favorable or unfavorable light in the eyes of non-believers depending upon how we live. What message do others read about Jesus by watching you and me? I must ask myself, what impression of Christ do people have when they see my actions or hear me talk?

People look at our lives for the characteristics of Jesus as describe in the Bible. They also look to see if our walk is consistent with our talk -- do we live the way we say we live? Does our language always honor Christ and edify other people? Our passage tells us that whatever we do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus. This means bringing honor to Christ in every aspect of our daily living.

The moon shines brightly in the night sky because it reflects the light from the sun. Without that reflected light, the moon would not shine and would become lost in the darkness of space. The believer in Christ shines only because of the reflection of Christ's light. Without that reflected light, the believer becomes lost in a world of darkness and sin. He cannot represent Christ in a positive way.

If you are a Christian, you can be assured that you are being observed and evaluated. Of course, we should never serve our Lord for the recognition of other people but to be obedient and please our Lord. However, since Jesus has given us the mission of making disciples of all people, we can give great credibility to the gospel message if our lives accurately reflect the character of Jesus Christ our Lord, the one we represent.

We must remember, however, that we can never live the way Christ would have us live without total dependence upon God's Holy Spirit to guide us and give us strength. The only way we can know true victory in our Christian living is in the power of the Spirit.

Love, Jerry & Dotse