Thursday Thoughts

I read an interesting article this morning (you can find the entire article at this link: http://standupforthetruth.com/2011/10/are-christians-prepared-if-ch...) that really has me thinking.  Here's a snippet......"Where does our heart and hope lie—in God or things of this world? Are we genuine Christians who love the Lord our God through thick and thin? Or are we façade Christians who love and trust him as long as things are going our way?"

I have also been watching news reports about events in Libya.  And one commentator's assessment has me thinking as well.  I don't remember who the commentator was, but this is a summary of what he said......Libyan rebels were willing to die for what they believed in, but military personnel had repeatedly commented that one of the biggest problems in Iraq and Afghanistan has been a lack of willingness to fully commit, to be willing to die for their cause.

So, here's something to ponder today.  Are we as Christians, specifically as American Christians, really committed to what we say we believe?  Are we......are you......am I.....genuine in our faith, or are we "facade Christians"?  I think the time is coming, and perhaps is here now, when we really need to answer that question.  Are we genuine in our faith?  Are we just going through the motions?  Are we "talking the talk but not walking the walk"?

If you are a student of the Bible, or even just a reader of the Bible, you may be familiar with this passage:

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power."  (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB)

Although those words were written in the first century, they sound very much like a description of the twenty-first century!  Wouldn't you agree with me that we are living in difficult times.  Difficult because of the descriptors in these verses.  Difficult because of financial difficulties.  Because of unemployment.  Because of sickness.  Because of war.  Difficult in so many ways. 

And I would submit to you that life is made more difficult when we try to straddle the fence.  When we don't stand firm for what we profess to believe.

Does living a genuine Christian life mean life will be without hardship, without difficulty?  Certainly not.  In fact, the Bible says the opposite:  "in this world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33, emphasis mine).  But is fear of tribulation, fear of difficulty, reason for not living out the faith we profess?  I think not.

The question then becomes, why are we not living genuine Christian lives?  Why are there so many "facade Christians"?  And the question for self-examination is......which one am I?  If we are not living "genuine" Christian lives, why not?  What are our priorities?  Where are we placing our trust?

The hymn writer said "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.......On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand."

Are you standing on the Solid Rock today?  Or on the "sinking sand" of the world?


"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NASB)