Tremble, Tremble Little Star
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. I Peter 3:15
shampoo bottle and faith, labeling my suitcase and good works. Folding my pants with crisp, imaginary seams and walking the straight line in my life, ensuring no wrinkles in my walk. Daily reviewing my one way itinerary and Bible, double checking my connecting gate. Tithing, giving and paying for my fare. My bags are packed, but just one problem. The last time I checked there were no hearses with luggage racks and I was still breathing. I had been collecting things but not collecting people.
As Christians, we can become so comfortable with the assurance of our salvation and begin to live vertically. Living vertically we walk past the horizontal relationships in our life. Not allowing the relationships to intersect our vertical faith, we literally miss the point of our calling. Vertical and horizontal living do not always cleanly intersect though. Human emotions and intellect collide at the point of faith and what is seen and unseen blur our faith, marginalizing our eternal hope.
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17
A few years ago, I was engaged in a delightful conversation with a woman who had decided in her early adulthood to become a vegetarian. Always curious, I had asked her how she had made that decision. She explained that she’d read a book about animals and immediately bonded with their feelings. She believed therefore, she could commune with the spirits of dead animals. Awkward…that ended our conversation. I missed an opportunity to share my beliefs on my faith and Angus beef.
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This time, our conversation had a different tone. She was attending a local church and professed a relationship with Christ. It was apparent the Holy Spirit had not missed the opportunity. We talked a while and as she walked away, it dawned on me, the same confidence I have in my salvation should be the same measure of how I share my faith. When I consider each person’s life hangs in the balance this thought should leave me trembling with fear, a reaction to the power of the gospel. Strengthened by God’s grace and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in my life.
Oh to be able to live life without regrets. I have had times where I look back and wish that I had said something along the lines of witnessing to someone or contacting someone. I try hard to not make that mistake again, but I am a weak human that is sometimes afraid of putting myself out there. I pray that God/Holy Spirit will help me not to pass up an opportunity that could mean the difference in someone’s Christianity. When we have that feeling that we need to call someone, take the time and call. If you need to go see someone, go. Don’t live to regret.
How true that we sometimes focus on the vertical relationship and ignore the horizontal, at least when it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes I think I must perfect my relationship with God before I can do a good job representing Him to others. But if we all hold off and wait for perfection, we will never share Christ with anyone!We need to take our eyes off ourselves and see others as God sees them.