my operating table

Real Christianity is not just showing up and sitting in your familiar pew. Real Christianity is not talking to the people who sit around you, and then leaving before you’ve spoken to anyone else. Real Christianity is not scribbling on your bulletin during the sermon. Real Christianity is not even nodding attentively. Why? Because real Christianity isn’t idle. 

Listen to what James had to say:

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” - James 1:21-25

What is this passage really about? It says that we are to put away sin and everything that separates us from God, and we are to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Why? Why can’t we just show up and listen to the sermon? Because we are deceiving ourselves. 

If we think that we are doing what God wants us to do, when in all actuality we aren’t doing anything at all, we’re deceiving ourselves. We’re fooling ourselves into thinking that God is happy with us, and that we’re perfectly safe in our mediocre life. The thing is, Scripture refutes that point a lot. Take what James says, later on in his epistle:

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” - James 2:14-18

 There’s no escaping the true meaning here: faith without works is dead, pointless. Unless we are out living a godly life, showing others that our faith is real and that Jesus has produced a change within us, our faith is useless. We are to be out doing good for other people, especially people of the church, and if we aren’t—we aren’t just being mediocre, we’re actually sinning (James 4:17). 

It’s time to get real with our Christianity, and realize that Christianity is an action verb. It isn’t something you can place on a shelf, comfortable and neat, and only take it down on Sundays and sometimes Wednesdays. No, Christianity is all the time. It is constantly seeking ways to help others, seeking ways to glorify God. If you aren’t actively pursuing those things, if you aren’t actively pursuing righteousness (1 Tim 6:11, 2 Tim 2:22), then how much of a Christian are you actually being? 

I’m not saying any of this to judge you. I’m not saying any of this to condemn you. I am saying all of this to wake me up; to give me a good shake. I need to actively pursue righteousness. I need to actively pursue helping others. I need to actively seek to glorify God. Because isn’t that what it’s all about?  Read Hebrews 11 and all of the action verbs contained there: Abel offered, Noah prepared, Abraham offered, Moses refused and forsook. A real faith is an active faith. 

Let’s close with the words of Jesus from Revelation:

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” - Revelation 3:16

Christianity is not about mediocrity, it is about action. Only when you are active are you being real, and are you pleasing God. And no, sitting and listening don’t count—not if that’s all you’re “doing”. 

We are all familiar with the story found in Matthew 18. Peter asks Jesus how often he has to forgive someone that sins against him. Immediately, I see a red flag, and I think Jesus did too. You see, Peter wants to know the quota—the maximum amount of times he has to forgive before he can shut the other person down and say, “No more!”. Peter is looking for a real, tangible number, but the answer he receives is anything but that.

Jesus goes on to tell a story about an unforgiving servant who, even though he’d been forgiven a huge debt, refused to show mercy and extend forgiveness to someone who owed him. Aren’t we all in that same position on a daily basis? As Christians, we have all been forgiven of a debt that is beyond what we could ever repay. That payment came in the form of Jesus, sacrificing Himself on the cross for our sins. Jesus paid the debt that we ourselves could never even think about repaying. Yet, like the one in the story, we often refuse to let go of meaningless grudges. We choose to keep people indebted to us, even though we have been forgiven of so much. 

Jesus closes the story with these words:

“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” - Matt. 18:35

I’m going to be blunt for a second: Is holding a grudge worth losing your soul? This story is telling us point blank that if we don’t forgive others, God isn’t going to forgive us. Unless we choose, daily, to wipe clean the slates of those who have wronged us, our slate will not be cleaned. 

Even though we all struggle with this, I think we all understand it. When people ask for forgiveness, we have to grant it. Simple as that. But the point of these studies is to dig a little deeper, so let’s go on to something that, to me, is a lot harder. 

Jesus said in Luke 17:3, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Do you see the if there? If your brother repents, you forgive. No questions asked. But what if your brother does not repent? 

To me, the hardest part of forgiveness is maintaining an attitude of forgiveness, even when the person who has wronged you has no intention of apologizing. Maybe you haven’t been in that situation before, but I have. You have been wronged—maybe publicly, maybe privately—and the person who did it could care less. They know you’re hurting. They know that what happened was wrong. Still, they choose not to apologize. So what on earth do you do? 

I don’t think that Jesus would have us belittle that person. I don’t think Jesus would have us respond to that person in any way other than love. And so, if the person never apologizes and never repents, that doesn’t affect the way you live your life. You see, if you let it affect you, you’ll allow bitterness to creep into your life. If you hang onto those feelings of, “well they still won’t apologize!” and every time you see them you get angry…you’re hurting yourself. Instead, have an attitude of love regardless of how they respond. You never know, your conduct could lead them to repentance further down the road. Your loving, positive response could lead them back to Jesus, whereas a hurtful, prideful, puffed up attitude could do the exact opposite. 

Christians are to be peacemakers. We’re told in Romans that, “as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” That tells me that sometimes, it will be out of my control. Sometimes, the other person just will not have peace. Still, our mindset is forgiveness. Our attitude is love. Our goal is peace.

I love the way the apostles respond to Jesus after this discussion. They simply say, “Increase our faith.”

When dealing with forgiveness and bitterness, sometimes your prayer might simply need to be, increase my faith God. I know that has been mine for a long time. 

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” - Hebrews 13:15

If praising God comes from the fruit of our lips, shouldn’t we be more careful with the way we use our words? First, we know that every idle word we utter will be used to judge us (Matt. 12:36). We also know that James gave a very stern warning about the way we use our tongues:

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” - James 3:8-10

Today, we need to take a deeper look into the ways we’re claiming to praise God. That’s right, claiming to. You see, when we go to worship on Sundays, we sing praises to our heavenly Father. When we pray to Him throughout the day, we are offering up praises to our Father. And yet, how often do we use that same mouth to bash the way a person beside us was singing, or to spread poison about someone else to a co-worker? We claim that we praise God on a daily basis, but are we really? Is that praise really going anywhere?

We need to examine our hearts, first and foremost, and find out where this “bitter water” is coming from (James 3:11). If we are gossiping about our brother, are we loving him? If we are criticizing the way the elders have chosen to do things at our congregation, are we truly loving them? If we are rude to our spouses, friends, and family members, are we truly loving them? If we turn right around and then sing praises to God, are we truly praising Him? I don’t think we are. 

If you are anything like me, you desperately want to praise our Amazing God. You want to do so at any and every possible moment. If we aren’t careful, the less-focused-on moments in our lives can keep up from truly praising Him. 

Examine the little parts of your life today. Look at every word you say, and think to yourself, “Is that coming from the same mouth that I praise God from?”. If you feel a little uncomfortable thinking that, you probably shouldn’t be saying the things you’re saying. Only when we have eliminated the bad, hurtful things that come from our mouths, will we be able to truly and whole-heartedly praise God. 

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” - Col. 4:6

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
- Psalm 19:14

 “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,” - 1 Pet. 3:1

This is the verse that makes women all over the world have a collective cringe. However, in our first attempt at getting real with our faith and really digging deeper into what God wants for us, I think it’s important for us to start with something that takes us a little out of our comfort zones.

Growing up as an American girl, the idea of submitting to anyone, especially a man, goes against the grain. I am supposed to be fierce and independent, not reliant upon some man. This verse, however, clearly states that women are supposed to be in submission to their husbands. So how, as one who has grown up within this feminist culture, can I do that? 

First, let’s look at what it really means to be submissive. To do that, let’s go back into First Peter chapter 2. You see, the word “likewise” is so often overlooked within that first verse, and yet it’s so important. Likewise is telling us that we need to look back, because the author is relating the husband-wife relationship to something else, something bigger. 

“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.” 1 Pet. 2:18-20

Alright, so originally Peter was talking to servants. We all know that in the first century, slavery was a common practice. Something else we know is that slaves and masters alike were Christians. Becoming a Christian didn’t mean, though, that the slave was instantly released from his duties. No, nothing about that situation changed. What changed was the relationship that the servant had with the master. 

Now that the slaves had become Christians, they were held to a higher standard than before. They were to be submissive to their masters, and display goodness and gentleness because they were children of God. I’m sure that there were slaves who wanted to be free, but that just wasn’t the plan for them. Instead, they were kept in that situation because they could do good. Through their submissive attitudes, they could show the difference that had been made within them by the power of Christ. 

Fast forward to wives. 

I’m sure that there are plenty of women out there who are unhappy with the lot they find themselves in—having to submit to a husband. As women, that is the role that God has chosen for us to play, and while we may not like it or always agree with it, His ways are higher than our ways and we are to use our position—just like the slaves—to show that we are different from the rest of the world because of the change that the blood of Christ has produced within us. 

Now, let’s address the issue of being unhappy in this role. 

I’ve heard people say it isn’t fair, women shouldn’t have to submit. I’ve heard people say it was cultural, so women today don’t have to submit. I don’t believe either of those statements are true. 

As wives, we should consider ourselves extremely blessed to be in the positions that we are. You see, I’ve skipped a significant portion of 1 Peter that I’d like to share with you now. 

 ”For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” - 1 Pet. 2:21-25

That’s right, the example for submission is Jesus. The likewise from the “women are to submit” verse, is telling us that we are to be like Christ. 

Who are we to think that we shouldn’t submit? God Himself came down in the form of a man, humbling Himself to a degree that we will never comprehend, and then suffered and died for SINNERS, all the while being completely sinless Himself. His life was the example. The fact that He lowered Himself so much should humble each one of us and make us take a very critical look at ourselves the next time we think that we shouldn’t have to submit. 

I, for one, am beyond grateful that I have the opportunity to submit and to act like Christ every day. Unlike Christ, I will often fail in my attempts, but how amazing that I get this opportunity to strive to be like Him. 

So who are we to think we shouldn’t submit? Jesus is our example.

Our culture needs a reality check. With so many people proclaiming “truth” as doing whatever it is you feel is right, we need to get back to the basics. We need to study the fundamental principles of what it means to be a Christian in these dark times, because God’s Word hasn’t changed. 

That is why I am planning a series called Reality Check. It’s going to get back to the basics of things that will help us in our daily walk with God. Because let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment: there are a lot of people out there who are professing to be Christians, but just flat out aren’t acting like it. Not only is this turning lost souls away from God because of hypocrisy, but it’s also leading those people down a dangerous, soul-losing path. 

So let’s get real with our Christianity. Let’s dig deeper, and start really examining what it means to be a Christian, based solely on what the Bible tells us to do. After all, my opinion doesn’t matter—it’s what God wants. He holds all authority. And fortunately for us, He’s told us all exactly how we can please Him.

Join me, won’t you? In examining what it means to get real with your Christianity. 

Are there any topics you’re interested in?

Sin is a terrible subject. It’s ugly and demeaning and terrible and evil and deceptive and hurtful and gross. Sin is the very thing that separates the created from the Creator. Sin is the thing that makes a mess in your life, then camps out and wallows in all the bad that is going on around you. Sin tears apart families, companies, friends, and our relationship with God. Sin keeps people from trusting, from loving, and from seeking something better. Like I said, terrible.

Often times, though, we think of the sinner in the exact same terms. Instead of focusing on the actual problem (sin), we focus on the person who is committing the sin. We single them out, make them feel guilty and dirty and unloved. We tell them that God hates sin, but our lives scream that God hates the sinner. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe for a second that God wants people to live in sin. I know that He does not excuse sin, and therefore I do believe that people who are caught up in lifestyles of sin need to change. That just isn’t the focus of this post.

I want this post to focus on how we, God’s children, respond to sinners. 

Let’s look at two Biblical examples of people responding to sinners. First, let’s look at Esau. Esau had sold his birth right, then been tricked out of his first-born blessing by his mother and younger brother. Esau was SO mad, and rightly so it seems. The blessing that was meant to be his was given to his younger brother, through whose lineage Jesus would ultimately come. Sensing Esau’s rage, Rebekah tells her younger son to flee, lest his older brother kill him. 

Years pass, and Esau and Jacob finally meet up. Now let’s pause for a moment and reflect on our own lives. Have you ever been hurt by someone, and still felt the bitterness years later? Have you harbored resentment toward someone who wronged you, and when you saw them again, all of those feelings came up? Let’s look at how Esau responded:

“But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” - Genesis 33:4

Esau responded the right way. While Jacob had wronged him, he forgave him. He didn’t plot to kill him, or run out and spit in his face and tell him to leave. No, he simply acted like nothing had ever happened. The Bible doesn’t record that Esau asked Jacob why he’d done it. It just says that he embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him. It says that he accepted him.

The next story I want to look at is in Luke 15. Again, a younger son goes out and sins against his family, acting out and living wildly and in sin. When he comes back, hoping for forgiveness, the father lovingly accepts him back. The older brother, not so much. 

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ “But he was angry and would not go in.” - Luke 15: 25-28

This older brother knew what his younger brother had done was wrong, and he didn’t think he needed to be so lenient in his forgiveness. Not only did he resent that his brother had gone off and lived so sinfully, but he also resented that he had not. He was resentful because he’d remained faithful, and the father still accepted the younger son back. 

Which way to we act when sinful people to God? Do we act like Esau, dropping everything and running to meet those people with open arms? Or are we the older brother in Luke 15, harboring resentment because we’d been so faithful the entire time? 

There aren’t ranks in God’s service. We are all His children, and He longs for each of us to have a right relationship with Him. Here are some final thoughts for you to think about as you examine your own reactions to sinners:

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” - Luke 15:7

“But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” - Matthew 6:15

While reading through Genesis, I stumbled upon a real gem. In a story I’ve read numerous times, one of lies and deceit and love and marriage and children, I found hope. It’s a story of brothers, and not one, but two families struggling with jealous siblings. It’s about Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel. There are ups and downs in the story. There are things we can learn from Jacob by example, and there are things we can learn because of how terribly he messed up. 

Instead of focusing on the negative, though, I want to focus on a profound statement Jacob made:

“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant” - Genesis 32:10

Incredible, huh? Jacob realizes that, regardless of all of the things he’s done in his life, God has blessed him beyond measure. How often do we sit and reflect on the mercies that God has bestowed upon us? I know that I don’t take enough time out of my day to day life to focus on what truly matters: my God. 

I am blessed beyond measure. I have an incredible, God-serving husband. I have a wonderful, supportive family. I worship with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I have a job. I have a place to live. I have food and clothing and tons of other things that are just extras. I know that all of those things came from God. And you know what else I recognize? Even the not-so-great things that come up in my life, God uses those for good, too. 

I want to end by sharing a song that I love so very much. Here are the power-packed lyrics:

You might go through hard times, when you fall into despair
Remember you’re surrounded by His blessings everywhere
It’s in a neighbors helping hand, or in the sunshine of a smile
One blessing leads to one more, you’ll be counting for a while
It’s best to look at what you have, forget what you have not
And just learn a lesson from ole Job and give thanks for what you got

Give thanks today. For all of the blessings in your life, and all of the things that don’t really seem like blessings right now. Because I promise you, God can use them for good.