His Encouragement #20

Happy Thursday! I am blessed to be a part of a group of bloggers who feel led to share a bit of encouragement each week from the Bible. We recognize that the source of our peace, strength, and security in this life comes from Jesus, and we aim to share that with our readers. Plus, when Thursday comes around, we can all use a little encouragement right? I hope that this posting blesses you and that you find strength and peace in the Lord today ❤

This week it’s on my heart to share:

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:11-12

I’m currently reading a book that talks about what it’s like (and what it should be like), to be a Christian in today’s secular world. While we are not to accept and encourage sin, we are also called to reach out to unbelievers in love. Our life goals should be living for Christ, and sharing Christ. It can seem like a pretty overwhelming task, but it’s what we should be striving to do on a daily basis.

Have you ever hear it said that the world is “watching you” because you are a Christian? It’s a very accurate statement. Even something like not cursing, is an indicator to people that there’s something “different” about you. That in itself isn’t sharing Christ, but that seemingly little thing can cause people to start watching you. My last job hired a lot of temps so there was a lot of people that I would meet and work with for only a short amount of time. I remember more than one person saying something about that very same thing. They deduced that clean language meant Christianity. What was more interesting about this though? Within only a short time of knowing each other, they would then start to ask tougher questions that they thought a Christian might be able to help with. It’s amazing how something seemingly so small, can open doors and spark a comfort and willingness to seek real answers.

We as believers understand not only what it means to sin and resist temptation, but also come to understand repentance and reconciliation. I feel it’s important to make note, that while we should be behaving in a way worthy of Christ, we need to keep ourselves from becoming a pharisee and seeing ourselves as better than we are. Even after we come to Christ, we fail. Repentance isn’t a one-time prayer, but a lifetime challenge. We have to choose to serve Christ instead of our sin. We also have to recognize that unbelievers are not of the same mindset as us. If all we do is attack them, we have failed at loving them. Jesus didn’t come to attack, but to seek out the lost. He came alongside them and convicted them of their sin in love. It’s what we need to do as well.

It’s also important to note that while Jesus reached out to sinners in love, he also never “approved” of their sin. He was very clear in his message to “go and sin no more.” Unfortunately, we will still fail, but what Jesus did was open the eyes of the people to their sin so that they would then turn from it. There’s forgiveness, but there also needs to be changed. That’s what a heart of repentance is. While it’s a difficult task, we have to learn how to reach people in love without compromising on sin. That requires help from the Lord!

While we are called to be set-apart and to be in the world without being of it, we should be seeking how to reach the lost for Christ. It’s okay to admit that we mess up because 1) its true and 2) it shows we are still human and need to recognize our daily need to keep our eyes on Jesus. Instead of showing them how we are better than them, we should be showing them how God has changed us and how we are still growing and changing in Him. We want to be encouraged that we can overcome life’s battles, so why would we think that unbelievers would feel any different? The difference is that we have hope in Christ– and we want to share that hope with them.

This week I’ll end with the song “What This World Needs” by Casting Crowns. I believe it captures what I’m trying to share well. The world needs Jesus. We should find every way possible to share him with the world as he shared himself. I hope you take a moment to listen and meditate on the truths it reveals.

Now, it’s your turn!

What Biblical verse is encouraging you today?

And, check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Nicole @ Christian Fiction Girl

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Jenny @ Author Jenny Lynn

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole