On a day to day basis, how often are you focused on clearly living a life that reflects Jesus? Do you consistently weigh your words and measure your actions by the character of Christ? When you lie down at night reflecting on your day, do you see a life that looks like Jesus? Our daily activities speak volumes about our heart. We profess to love Christ and swear He is our Lord, but we lead unremarkable lives that bear a far greater resemblance to the societal norm than to the holiness of God; there is a disconnect between our words and our actions that we must discover and overcome.
In my own life, I am sick of the hypocrisy that is my walk. Like the apostle Paul, I do the things I don’t want to do while the things I want to do get left undone (Romans 7:15, 19). It doesn’t matter whether we commit what are perceived to be small sins or large sins; any time spent engaged in activity not honoring Christ is time we are wasting. Time is not redeemable; we have what we have and then it is gone. Every wasted moment vanishes forever and we find ourselves one breath closer to death. It is urgent and imperative that we focus every second of our lives on Christ. Every day must be viewed as a new opportunity to reflect His love to others, while every night should be cherished as a time to bask in His presence and peace. Our time grows ever shorter and there are so many who still have never heard.
One life – yours or mine – can make a significant difference in our world. We never know what effect a simple act of kindness or a gentle word will have. You might bring hope to the one who will go on to discover a cure for cancer or to someone who will simply “pay it forward” and offer help to one who is homeless. We never know what God will do with one seemingly insignificant act on our part. Never pass up an opportunity to share some kindness; remember to always reflect the love of Christ in every moment of your day.
The effort required to fully seize each moment is not trivial; it requires discipline and focus. We may never perfectly achieve the goal, but every second that we grasp for the glory of God is one more second than we had previously embraced. Moment by moment we develop a life that looks like Jesus and reflects His love and glory to those around us. The world does not need more lip service Christians; the world needs followers of Jesus who are willing to devote their lives to loving God and serving others. Imagine the impact on the nations if only those who profess Jesus as their Savior would engage their world as a disciple of Christ. Poverty would be eradicated, crime rates would plummet and homelessness would become a thing of the past. Racial tensions would fade into history, and justice would reign across the planet. That this is not happening rests solely at our feet. It is we who call ourselves Christians that are failing to act; we are the ones who are choosing lives of contentment over lives of passion and action. It is we who will one day face our God and be asked to give an accounting for the way in which we spent our time.
What are you doing today that reflects the love of God? How are you spending your time? These are questions we all must ask ourselves every day. I confess that more days than not I am inconsistent in my walk. I have flashes of brilliance wherein I reflect the love of Christ, but they are couched between periods of darkness when I am self-absorbed and serving no kingdom purpose. You and I must overcome our inconsistencies and through God’s strength learn to discipline ourselves to live a life that reflects the love of Jesus to a dark and dying world. To this we are all called; it is the will of God for the life of every one of us. Before you leave your house today, prayerfully determine that you will reflect Jesus to every single person you encounter. Walk boldly through your world with the knowledge that the love of Christ is spilling out from you; feel His power course through your veins and seek opportunities to serve someone in need. Every moment will be won for Christ or lost to the enemy. Determine to live the life you promised to Christ. Seize the moment and save the day. The world needs you to live out your commitment. Together let us live our calling to love God and serve others. Enough of Christianity; let’s live as followers of Christ.