May 7

"Being A Christian Today"   

  It is not easy to be a Christian today.  I don’t know that it has ever been.  We need to be attentive and deliberate if we expect to stay in Christ and not be drawn away. It can really be a struggle; one in which we are already engaged and may not even aware of it.  There is plenty of resistance within us and outside of us to living the life and running the race that God has set out for us.  And I want us to be prepared to stand firm in the struggle in the name of Jesus Christ.  

    As a teenager, I went on a short hike through a rain forest.  When I came out, there were leaches already attached to my legs. I couldn’t even feel them and didn’t know they were there until I looked down.  I had never seen leaches before!  And though they were not yet deeply imbedded, a few had already started to draw blood.  That day I learned - if you are going to take walks in rain forests where there are leaches all around, you should not be surprised when you come out with them attached to you.   

     When you choose to place yourself in an unhealthy environment, you should not be surprised that some of it attaches to you.  It is one thing when we are not aware of the potential dangers, it is another when we choose to walk in them.  We should not be surprised to find ourselves in a struggle for our minds, our hearts and our bodies when the messages all around us tell us to go ahead.   As our culture becomes more self centered and the phrase “you deserve it” is used as an excuse for almost everything, we are going to find ourselves on leach invested trails.   

    It is also true that you do not need to seek that which is unhealthy for you.  You can fall into it unawares if you are not careful.  We need to be aware of the messages around us and how easy it is to get blown off course.   If you are in over your head, seek help.  If you are aware that there are areas of your life which you keep walled off and are not of God, know that you are not meant to live a divided life.  

     In this beautiful season of the Resurrection, know that you are not alone.  Jesus died on the cross to cancel the powers of sin and death which would hold us down.  Jesus is with us every day of the week, every hour of every day, every second of every hour.  Wherever you may be right now, he is there to help you in your struggle.  We are meant to live in the light.  Let its beams fill you and lead you in every area of your life.