Living Like We're Saved?

Realizing that I don't post very often (nor do I link to other posts), I decided to unload today on the printed page. I have recently become compelled by a very important concept in the life of Christ's church: "Christians don't act like they're saved" Yep, I said it; and I'm not talking about morality, either, even though we've become "hypocrites" in the eyes of the unsaved because of the ungodly behavior of Christian public figures in the media. But that's another story for another blog. No, I'm talking about attitude and our overall "heart" when it comes to being a child of the King. I seem to be reading/hearing a lot about this lately, but we just don't get excited anymore about the incredible message of the gospel. We have perfectly good reason to behave as positive people throughout the 24 hours in a day or at the very least 23 of those hours. When Paul talks about the Christian life being difficult, he wasn't encouraging us to show on our face how difficult our day is, or to impress it on everyone we meet with our words and attitudes. To the contrary, I think that what the world needs is for Christians to become experts at leaving their burdens at the foot of the cross. To let go of dwelling on our hardships so rapidly that all we have left to do is encourage others and share the wonder of God's love. A lost and dying world needs to see believers who are sold out and actually ECSTATIC enough about their saved condition that they want everybody to join in on the fun. Truth is, I have known very few people in the course of my ministries who actually consider their life for Christ to BE fun. Obviously, I'm not encouraging hurting people to ignore their problems. But we have become masters at dwelling on the negative for so long, that we're convincing the world there really is nothing to be had in Christ.

I'm not a bluegrass fan, but Alison Krauss' band, Union Station, is full of more than just raw musical talent. They have one of the most thought-provoking Christian members I've ever heard speak or write. I don't have to tell bluegrass fans that his name is Ron Block, since he is a premier, world-reknowned banjo picker who impresses me often. Here's how he puts it (and obviously, he knows how to put this concept into words): "Ripped Off" by Ron Block