I’ve been thinking lately about how, as Christians, we can make a difference in our world.
A good place to start is asking, as Christians, what is the purpose in our interactions with others? Are we just trying to get to heaven ourselves or take others with us? No matter what we believe in our heart, what does our life say about it?
There is a quote from the Live Dead journal that I went through a few years ago that I really like. “Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” C.T. Studd
If our goal is just to get ourselves into heaven we will live differently than if our goal is to take others with us. One will keep us in a place of safe relationships. The other will take us to a place of risk, closer to the gates of hell.
Do we interact with those outside the gate or isolate ourselves from contact with “them”?
If we want to make a difference, then somehow, someway,
we have to interact with those who need to hear the gospel.
In a way that rightly reflects the gospel. [Click to Tweet]
I’m talking to myself. I like calm in my life. I like safe. My goal can too quickly become smoothing out all the bumps, when maybe, just maybe what I need to do is look around to see who else needs help over the same bumps. Maybe they don’t know the great helper and I need to introduce them.
High on my list of “how do I do this?” is the online factor. I’m here more than I like. As an author, a certain amount of that is necessary. But I struggle with how to bring my faith into the picture. How to make a difference while I’m online.
I read a book recently that I found very helpful. @Sticky Jesus by Toni Birdsong and Tami Heim. Toni and Tami talk about how to live out your faith online.
Not everyone wants to be online, viewing the internet as nothing but a waste of time. But let’s face it, social media is where people are. It’s a place they seek out friends, entertainment, answers, connections, their moment of fame.
Its where a lot of us go. Instead of just gobbling up all the entertainment value we can or promoting ourselves, maybe we need to look around more and see who we can share the light of Christ with. Our time online doesn’t have to be just wasted time.
Anywhere we go, if we are thinking outwardly, we are more likely to find opportunity to share our faith.
What place do you think culture should have in our life? Do we isolate and ignore it? Embrace it and don’t bother bringing our faith into it? Or engage with culture to the extent we can while glorifying God in order to bring the light of Christ to the lost?
What does this look like in your life?
photo credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net // renjith krishnan
