A 'Good' Christian

People often times throw around the term “Good Christian”.  Until recently, this term didn’t bother me so much.  But the more I hear it, the more I find it being misused as a judgment tool and a way to make some people feel better about themselves.   

As Judgment:

For instance, she isn’t a good Christian because she doesn’t go to church every Sunday.  Or he wasn’t a good Christian because he didn’t give one-tenth of his wages.  But it seems as though we’ve forgotten that there is only One who has any place to judge how we live.  We have no right to judge anyone for anything, but especially judging others on how good of a servant they are to our Lord.  That is His job not ours.  And when we judge others on the scale from not-so-good Christian to good Christian, it takes us one notch in the wrong direction.

As a way to indulge our ego:

For instance, because I’m a good Christian, I signed up to head the food drive at church.  Or because I’m a good Christian, I kept my mouth shut in that situation and didn’t say what was actually on my mind.  Are we forgetting that it’s not how other people see us that matters?  It’s about how He sees us.   It’s not about what we look like to other people.  Yes, we want to set a good example but not so WE look ‘good’ to others.  God knows our motives.  God knows what we want to say even when we hold our tongue.  He knows our feelings inside and knows when we are being genuine.      

Being a ‘Good’ Christian isn’t about going to church on Sunday or giving one-tenth because we feel obligated. It’s about wanting to go to church to worship, learn, and become closer with God.  It’s about giving of our money, praise, and most importantly our lives because He gave so much to us. 

The term Good Christian also got me thinking about our rating scale.  When I hear the word good relating to a book or a meal or any other type of experience- I think subpar.  The book wasn’t a real page-turner but it was good.  Not great, but alright.  The meal was a little bland, but it was still good.

 This use of the word ‘good’ makes me rethink the term Good Christian.  Because if this is how we use the description good, then I don’t want to just be good.  I want to be great.  I don’t want to just skate by, and be an okay Christian.  I want to give him everything I have to be a GREAT Christian because we have a GREAT God.  If our God was subpar or just alright, would He have created this amazing world?  If our God was just okay, would He give his only son to be tortured and tormented so that our sins could be forgiven?  I don’t think so.  I think that takes something better than just good.  It takes something even better than great.  So the least that I could do is strive to be a great Christian.  I’m not saying I’m perfect or anywhere even close, but I want to strive to be a better than just ‘good’ at serving our God and living a life for Christ.

The greatest among you will be your servant.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Matthew 3:11-12 

Moving Mountains

As I was driving through the hills between Erie and Elmira, I was thinking about all the bills that had to be paid, the appointments that needed to be scheduled, and all the items that needed to be packed.  I was thinking about the stresses in my life.  I like to pray when I drive as well as think about how great our God is.  I marvel at the hills and streams as the light shines down on them, and think about what a beautiful Earth we are blessed with.  But during this particular part of the drive, the only hills I was seeing were the forthcoming mountain that was my to-do list.  I turned up the radio in attempt to drown out the internal fears and stressors that were running through my mind.  Then I heard something that changed my entire thought process.  The XM radio said,

 “Don’t tell your God how big your mountain is, instead tell your mountain how big your God is.”

I had never thought of that.

I had probably heard this saying before, or something similar, but I never really listened and though about it.

I know God is all powerful.  I know He never gives us more than we can carry.  And I know if we call on Him, he is with us every step of the way.  But, I was telling God how big my mountains were almost on a daily basis.  As if he didn’t know already or something.  I was asking God for strength and courage as if He could give it to me and I would be okay out there all on my own.  I was telling Him about my future as if He Himself hadn’t already planned it.  God loves us, and he wouldn’t give us mountains we couldn’t climb.  But what if it’s not about asking Him for the proper gear to climb the mountains.  What if it’s not about packing God in with our fleece and trail mix.  What if, just maybe, we told that mountain how big our God was and that mountain moved. 

Because God can move the mountains.

It makes things seem a lot less scary when I remember who has the power over all things, and who already knows how things are going to turn out. 

I’m not saying we should live carelessly risky or unprepared lives, but I am saying that God has the power over all things so it’s unfair to give power to our stressors. 

It’s belittling to our God when we continue to tell him how big these mountains in our lives are as if he has no power over them.  He is all powerful and all mighty, and he moved my mountains that day.

My to-do list hasn’t gotten much shorter; in fact it might actually be longer than the one I was thinking up in my head during the drive.  But it’s no longer a mountain.

These types of mountains can shade the light of God in our lives.   

When these mountains are there it’s not pitch black, He is still there.  But His true beauty and power can’t be seen because we act as if these mountains are more powerful and deserve our attention. But they don’t.  And the most amazing part is, if we surrender to His power and truly believe that He can move mountains, He will.  And His light will shine even brighter in our lives.

Satan has this way of putting mountains in our lives in attempt to shade God’s power and strength.  But when we call on the Lord, even Satan has no ground to stand on. 

So I’m done telling God about my troubles and asking for strength for myself.  I’m telling my troubles about my God, and letting them no they don’t have a chance.  I’m going to be led by the Lord and serve Him with all of myself.  I don’t need to pack my gear, and put God in my pocket for when I need Him.  My gear is God.  Instead, I’m going to serve our Lord and tell my stressors to take a hike.   

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:18-22