If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything. Cute but true! Being a Christians means you live in the positive with the prospect of things getting better. That's just one of the ways that the Christian is set apart from the world. The world is negatively focused and that leads only to the downside of life. Hmmm...positive living or negative living? For me this is a no brainer. Why spend time on that which takes from you when you can spend your time being blessed by the Creator of the universe? I'm positive that some people and some groups spend their time tearing down rather than building up. Our world is steeped in a culture of aggression and negativity causing many to wonder just what real Christians stand for or have hope for. Even amongst the religious world of the day Jesus was positive. He said many positive things about living for God rather than self. He concluded on many opportunities the sadness of those who wouldn't choose the love of God over the love they had for the world. They were taught to believe you only have happiness from that which you take and not on what you give away. Just what does the Christian of today embrace as positive. Should you look at many churches you will not see the Jesus of the first century Christian. You will see the selfishness of mankind trying to get what they THINK is the best for themselves.
For instance, Christians don't need a committee to decide what to do in the church. We have the Bible that covers everything that comes up in the Christian's life. Step away from the Word and you have mankind's wisdom on how to be a Christian which isn't being Christian at all. Negativity sets in and the results are multiple denominations of selfishness. There is no reason for the number and variants of denominations and churches in this world. There is one Lord and one church and Jesus is that Lord and in him the church (Christian believers and not buildings) have their identity and salvation. There are what Hal Lindsey calls "Doctrines of demons" that mark the very essence of why some groups exist. Books have been written (to many) rationalizing and justifying the existence of any persons view of what the Christian should do, be and think. Most of that is steeped in legalism. Jesus came to fulfill the law so that we are free from the legalism that bound so many then as it does now. A big part of the reason for this is simply found in the discovery that few Christians read, study and meditate upon the Word of God. Should they do this they choose embracing something positive.
I'm mostly a positive person. Sure, I know that bad things happen. Those bad things don't define me. Sure I know that things don't seem fair. Those unfair things don't define me. I even know that the world can be terrible and treacherous. But, those terrible and treacherous places and people don't define me. What defines me is God. He says that he is greater than all of the negative. Since I am in Him, I am greater than all that is negative as well. I'm positive that the plan of God is working out even when I'm not aware of it. I'm positive that blessings of God are being rained down upon me all the time. I'm positive that Jesus has provided grace, mercy and salvation for such a sinner as I am. I'm positive that God takes all of my situations (good or bad) and moves them to a positive part of his plan. I'm positive that Heaven is real and this world is not my home. I'm positive that all good things come to those who wait on the Lord and are living according to his plan. I'm positive that God speaks to me today and every day because he loves me. I'm positive that my kids have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior even when it seems like they don't. I'm positive that every moment of my day is granted to me to share the Gospel of Jesus to a lost world. I'm positive that God gives me a choice every moment of every day to be positive. Remember, it's always your choice.
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