Judging the Heart

     I came to a horrible realization the other day: Not everyone is saved. As much as I would like everyone to be saved, they are not -- not everyone I know, not even everyone in my family, is saved and will go to heaven. I recall an argument with a dear friend of mine... let's call him "Bill."

Bill: Everyone in my family is saved.

Me: But the actions of some people in your family don't bear any fruit. Maybe some aren't saved.

Bill: You can't judge their hearts. They're all good people.

Me: You're right, only God can judge their hearts, but I can judge their actions. They may do good things, but that doesn't indicate salvation. And some of them don't bear any good fruit at all.

Bill: I know for a fact that as a part of this family, everyone is a Christian.

Me: You just said, 'Man cannot judge the heart." Isn't that statement a judgement in and of itself also? I cannot judge their hearts and say, "They are not saved," but you cannot judge them either saying, "They are saved."

Bill: I'm not condemning them!

     Then I realized the opposite was true. My friend Bill refused to acknowledge the very real possibility of some people in his family not being born-again Christians. Because of this, he was the one condemning his family -- condemning his family to the possibility of going to hell for all eternity. How is this so? No one witnesses to a person who they think is saved. By refusing to take any action on the possibility that there may be lost members of his family, Bill is doing the equivalent of condemning them to hell -- he is withholding the life-giving message of salvation from those members of his family.

     Now, this does not mean that if one is uncertain of someone's salvation they must beat them over the head with a Bible until they repent. But it does mean that one must make an effort to be a witness through words and deeds. Make your life a living witness (it should be already because of the light we Christians hold within us regardless of if we're "trying to reach" somebody.)

     This whole experience, made me realize it is safer to assume someone is not a Christian until they have thoroughly -- through words and actions -- proved themselves to be one. Otherwise, I will be lulled into a sleepy state of being a non-witness because I won't care who is watching me: "everyone is a Christian, who cares what I'm doing." What makes this even sadder is that it shouldn't matter who is watching me or not; God is always watching me, I should act in a way that glorifies Him because it pleases Him.

     As Christ's messengers on earth, it is our job as Christians to spread the gospel to all corners of the world. This includes the little nooks and crannies in our personal circles and families. We must be living witnesses of God's glory: being both a caring spirit of conviction and a life-giving witness of hope through the power and spirit of Jesus Christ.

School's on it's way...

With fall fast approaching, I was thinking about how many people whine and complain when it comes time to do homework or get up early to catch the bus. I understand that school isn't always fun, but we are called to be witnesses wherever we go. Do complaining, joyless people really convey the love that God has for us?

When we walk down the halls at school, try smiling to the newcomers, the people you've never really talked to, the bullies, the nerds, the preps... everyone no matter where they come from or what their reputation is. Since God is love and we are to love the way Christ loved, smiling is a simple way to show off God's love.

At my job, the simple act of smiling has everyone utterly baffled! No one can understand why I'm always smiling. Why should I? Pay is low, customers are rude, managers are demanding -- in school it might be, teachers are mean, homework takes hours, and my classmates are evil! -- so, why in the world should I smile all the time?

My answer is very simple: I am grateful that I even HAVE a job. I am grateful that I am even BEING paid to work. I am happy to be a witness to people in a dark world. I am joyful that I am a Christian, and that Jesus died for ME. I am grateful that I have a home to go to and food on in my refrigerator. I am grateful that I live in America where I can freely own a Bible. I am grateful that I can borrow my Mom's car. I am grateful that I have a room to myself, that I have my own computer, that I can paint my room whatever color I want. I am grateful that I can buy books and art supplies. I am grateful that I have tons of clothes -- that I have clothes at all! -- that I have shoes and make-up and friends... The list can go on and on and on...

The point I'm trying to make is why shouldn't I smile? I know who God is and He's in charge of where I am and how things go. I have so much and I don't deserve any of it! And even if I had nothing, I'd still have Jesus Christ and that is something I could never earn -- ever! When I put things in perspective like this, I find it hard to understand why so many people constantly complain about their situations -- especially minor ones.

So, no matter what's going on, or how bad things may seem, remember that Jesus is with you and that is a cause to smile for.

Chicken or the Egg?

I just saw one of those "un-answerable questions" and I felt the urge to tell the world that I know the answer to the age old question, "the chicken or the egg?"

Ready?

SINCE God created the world and everything in it, He created both the chicken and the egg.

(Genesis 1:20) "Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.'"

Chickens are birds, so we will group them with the birds (no brainer.) Therefor God directly created the chicken -- not the egg first.

This is a rather trivial question. What's important is that we know God created everything! He's in control of the world -- whether we like it or not. And we can get blessings by working with Him or curses by working against Him.

I for one want to be blessed. So here's the REAL question: How can I know if I'm working with or against God?

#1. Are you praying in accordance to his will?

That question sounds a lot harder than it actually is. To pray in accordance with God's will simply means that when you pray, "Thy will be done," you really mean it! If you want to go to NYC and become a supermodle and you pray, "They will be done," you have to be okay with the fact God might want you to scrub floors in a hospital in South Africa. Not that everything is always that "extreme" but we have to understand that if we REALLY want God to do His will, we've got to be okay with wherever He puts us, whenever He puts us there.

#2. (Do I really have to say this?) Are you being the best example of Jesus Christ that you can be?

WWJD I'm sure everyone remembers that from our 3rd grade Sunday School classes. But that acronym has many more ramifications than it is given. When Jesus saw people selling in the temple, he took the time to braid His own whip to drive them out (and who says Christian shouldn't get involved in the military!) When Jesus was eating with sinners, none of them felt scared or judged, rather, they loved Him. Now our big question is, are we behaving in the same way Jesus did? Do we "love the sinner, hate the sin," or do we wrap everything together and hate the sinner too? Do we allow people to walk all over out beliefs, or do we stand up and fight for what we know is right?

Those two points pretty much round everything off. Pray so that you know what to do, then behave in the best manner as you do it. (Told you it was pretty simple.) The hards part of all, however, is... You have to do this every moment of every day. Live the life. Sure, we makes mistakes and fail all the time, but as my youth pastor once said:

"Imagine life as a race. All of us Christians are running to the finish line (heaven). Don't run just to finish, run like you're gong to win. If you run like you're going to win, you'll try a lot harder than if you're just running to finish."