“Be who you are and stop caring what other people think.”
“Go with the crowd and try to fit in.”
Have you ever stopped to think about these phrases and what they mean to you? Most people either want to fit in or they want to stand out and show their individualism. Either way, when it comes down to it, everyone needs other people that share their same likes, dislikes and/or beliefs. Today’s church services are a lot like that in the sense that they are constantly being re-molded to gain society’s approval.
When you see celebrities in rehab or dying because they let fame and money take over, we pity them. We have sympathy. Alternatively, when Christians choose a life of moral and self-restrictions, people tend to turn up their noses. There are negative labels put on Christians when we exercise our beliefs.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” John 15:18-20 NIV
I always go back to this verse when I am having a hard time with something. It’s difficult not to question God sometimes, but it’s crucial that you hold onto your faith, instead of trying to contort it into something it’s not. I don’t respect intolerance and I don’t believe that our job is to judge or persecute others for their beliefs either, though.
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:6-8
It’s a fine line between holding Christian beliefs and living the way that we want. Do you ever have a hard time believing God’s Word?