When we make the decision to let Jesus bring life into us, there is no longer an "I" in the equation. Even though I act like I am running my own life, there shouldn't be an "I" in the daily comings and goings. Asking myself questions like, "Do people know me better than Jesus in me?" resonate in my head. That question alters how I think, say and do when I'm with others. I don't want to be seen but rather want Christ to be seen. This can be quite problematic when I'm around other Christians. The questions asked about me should be questions asked about Jesus. My social life, financial affairs, or my number of friends on Facebook have nothing to do with Jesus unless, of course, it's his social life through me, him dealing with the financial affairs or how many friends he has. Jesus had friending down pat long before FB came into being. He still does. What is it I want people to see when they look at me? What do I want people to hear when they hear me talk. What do people need to observe about the folks I keep company with? If the answer for you and I is anything but "Jesus!" we have the wrong focus and aren't living for God. We are called to die to self and to be a disciple of Jesus bringing the Good News to all who we encounter. We can witness with our words and still not have the power of God if our lives reflect otherwise.
Our current Christian take on the subject is to please man instead of God. Take for instance your demeanor when you are around Christians versus when you are around unbelievers. Do you and I act in ways that tell people we are Christian but not really? Then we aren't living for God. The man/woman who stands for nothing will fall for anything. We even teach our kids to do the same! Do you pray over your meals at home but in public do not because you don't want anyone offended? The Bible tells us that the Gospel is offensive to those who are perishing. The question is whether or not we are living for God and are offensive or whether we are not living for God and aren't offensive to the world. Without the Christian how will the unbeliever know who Jesus is and what he has for them. I have this amazing event that is repeated in my life pretty much on a daily basis. It doesn't matter where I go or when I go. People voluntarily begin to pour out their hearts and life story to me. I engage and bring the Gospel to them as opportunity and time allows. Something in me (Jesus) people see as that venue where they are safe to bare their souls. I'm glad for that. God can make all of us an instrument of his peace if we would only die to self and live for him.
I've talked before about the sins of omission and commission. Yes, both can be a sin. Should we fail to do what we know we should do, it's a sin of omission. Hearing that voice tell our hearts to share the Gospel and not doing it is sin. Then we have that failure of doing that which we know is wrong to do. That's the sin of commission. Pretending we aren't Christian when we are with people who have differing beliefs and not being true to Jesus is a sin of omission. Omitting our "story" of how we are saved does no good in the kingdom of God. We are continuously bombarded with the cares of the world and try to either avoid or fail to act out our faith in order to "not cause waves." This is wrong. What happens when we are whom God has designed us to be? We become a walking testimony of Jesus and salvation. What happens when we choose to not be whom God has designed us to be? We become servants of the devil and sin. These extreme's exist. They reflect wether or not we are living for God. Remember, it's always your choice.
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