Today we are blessed with a blog from my friend Jean Wilund. She is a talented writer with a heart for God and passion for His Word. I know you’ll be inspired by her message about living your Christian beliefs.
Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (I John 2:6, NIV)
I love this world, but newscasters could sum up each day with, “The world’s gone crazy, and that’s the news for today. Have a good night.”
Of course history proves this madness isn’t new. Since the Garden of Eden, this wild, wonderful world has always been a bit cracked. It’s filled with people, so it never stood a chance. In our humanness, we’re all going to act a little crazy. Some of us act straight up senseless. It’s only in Christ that we have the power to live differently.
When we learn we have cancer, panic doesn’t kidnap our emotions. Stalwart trust in our sovereign God gives us strength to smile at the future.
When the news announces terrorism is making its way into our land, fear doesn’t paralyze us. The surpassing peace of Christ rules in our hearts and drops us to our knees in confident trust in our powerful God.
When an opposing fan screams hateful words at our child on the soccer field, sharp words designed to cut the hater down to size don’t spew from our mouths. Forgiveness calms us as we remember how much we’ve been forgiven.
We all face trials that threaten to disturb our peace and crush our hope. We encounter hatred and rudeness that can awaken the monster within us. We see other people’s success and are tempted to choke on jealousy and discontentment. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
We’ve been given the Spirit of the Living God to empower us to live what we say we believe. Even in the worst situations, if we thoughtfully respond rather than immediately react, we can mirror Christ. How we respond reveals what we truly believe no matter what we say. Each day presents us with new opportunities. Let’s choose to live what we claim to believe. With God’s Spirit in us and for us, I think we’d be crazy not to.
Pray this with me:
Father, I thank You that You’re working in me, giving me the desire and the power to do what pleases You so that I can live like I say I believe. I know I won’t get it right all the time, but by Your power–the same power that raised Jesus from the dead–I will seek to show the world who You are through my life and bring You praise and glory. Amen. (Prayer based on Philippians 2:13)
Jean Wilund is an author, Bible teacher and blogger. She’s passionate about sharing the life-giving truths in God’s Word. Connect with her on her blog, Join the Journey, at JeanWilund.com.
