Aren’t Christians Supposedly “Good People”?
Have you ever been asked why Christians mess up so much or why they do wrongs when they’re supposed to be “good”?
First off, no one is good, except God… we ALL mess up… but let’s keep going.
Have you ever wondered this yourself when you see Christians royally mess something up in a way that “makes us look bad”?
Has this ever made you doubt your faith in God? Or made you feel ashamed of their representation of Christ?
We Are All Just Human… Not a Cop Out, Just the Truth
I think the most important thing to remember when faced with this question is the fact that Christian or not, we are all just human.
That may sound like a cop out to you, an excuse to allow us to continue doing whatever we want the way we want it, whether or not it causes any harm.
But my point is just as I said it, we need to remember that we are only human.
Without intentionally bowing temptations or ideals or determinations to God Almighty, we are simply acting in human (fleshly) wisdom & actions.
We Are the “Branches” & He Is the Vine… Without Him, We Are Just Sticks
We are called to plug our daily lives into our “Vine” aka God through prayer & reading His Word, the Bible (John 15:1-8). Without drawing from Him & actively submitting to His will & His way, with His help, we are simply acting as we are on our own—human.
That is why I am so passionate about this topic of constantly pointing us to look to, draw from, & lean into God in every area of our lives. We (including ME!) need this constant reminder to look to Him to lead, equip, guide, instruct, teach, empower, embolden, strengthen etc.
Without making intentional effort to lean into Him for our daily lives, including our thought lives, we are vulnerable to the attacks & tricks of the devil, even the subtle nudges that urge you to take or do what you want without regard for checking in with Almighty God.
Everyone Is Looking for Us to Fail… But WE Are NOT God
My husband wisely pointed out to me that, as Christians, we are also on display as representors of Jesus Christ & because of this fact, media eats up the juicy shock & awe factor of plastering our mistakes for all to see, making it seem much more prevalent than it is, at least in comparison to any other humans doing the same thing.
God Is Greater
And, we must consider the fact that we have an active enemy on this earth who spends all of his time prowling the earth seeking who he may devour or destroy—Satan.
Being a Christian means that Satan can do NOTHING to take away the HOPE we have received in accepting Christ to cover our debt to God by His death & resurrection on our behalf… BUT, Satan will do whatever he can to discourage us, distract us, & keep us from displaying the LOVE & GLORY & GRACE of the GREAT God that we serve… the GREAT God Who offers a rescue for all our souls.
Satan tries to keep us from representing well the wonderful God we love.
Guard Yourself with God’s Truth & His Strength
This is one MAJOR reason why we should be reading & meditating on God’s Word “day & night” as the Bible tells us (Joshua 1:8), to quench the fiery darts of the devil through your faith in Who your help comes from–God (Ephesians 6:16).
Let God’s Word/Truth help you deflect the lies that our enemy tries to tempt or discourage us with.
When we are not leaning into God & when we are living by our own strength & wisdom, we are just as susceptible to sin as ANY other person.
Our spirit may be willing, as Jesus puts it, but our flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
We must yield our willing spirit & weak flesh to God to allow for His power & wisdom to lift us up & help us out as we strive to live in a way that shows Him honor & gives Him glory.
Only God Is Perfect. Only God Does No Wrong.
It is extremely easy to put people on pedestals with Christ. We tend to see how they encourage or inspire us to seek Jesus & yet we forget that they need Him just as much as we do & when they take their eyes from Him, they are just as vulnerable to submitting to sinful thoughts as we are.
That’s also a big reason why we should actively pray for spiritual leaders. They have a big target on their backs because Satan wants to use their influence to try to ruin God’s reputation. We can bet that Satan is putting his resources into taking them down publicly to discredit God & the grace He offers to the world.
God Has Already WON. He CANNOT Be Thwarted.
I need to step back from the mention of Satan’s work & determination to remind us of something so powerful. NO MATTER what Satan accomplishes on this earth… no matter who he discredits… GOD HAS ALREADY WON THE WAR. God’s purposes, plan, & will WILL PREVAIL.
God canNOT be thwarted. EVER.
Remember These Things…
So, while it does make us ashamed & embarrassed when representatives of Christ royally mess things up, we need to remember several things when this topic is brought up or when we see it arise in the media:
- God will have the final say & He is never caught off guard or thwarted. EVER. He has already WON.
- That person who screwed up did so because they took their eyes off Jesus & either tried to do it on their own or were distracted by temptation, failing to lean into God’s strength to help them overcome.
- There is no such thing as good versus evil people… only PEOPLE loved by Almighty God who do good or evil things. NONE of us are good & ALL of us are redeemable through God’s grace.
- Look to GOD as your guide ultimately, through prayer & time in His Word—not to other people. People can encourage, teach, admonish, redirect, uplift, edify, etc. us, but ONLY God is perfect in all things & perfectly able to not sin & perfectly able to help you in ALL situations. So, turn to Him, ALWAYS.
- We have an active enemy on this earth. Don’t take that lightly. Turn to God as your source of hope, strength, comfort, wisdom, guidance, etc. He is King of kings, Almighty God, but He is also our unconditionally loving GOD who offers freely His GRACE to ALL who trust in Christ, His Son.
Our Common Humanity & Our Common Need for CHRIST
Don’t begin to doubt God when people mess up big time… begin to recognize our common humanity & our common need for Christ in every situation, leaning into Him daily, moment-by-moment.
Only God cannot, does not, & will never sin.
Every person has access to His grace. EVERY person.
Shine HOPE by being gracious to fellow humans in their mistakes that you are just as capable of making if you take your eyes from Jesus & by shining God as our perfect HOPE.
Coming Next Week
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If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
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Worthy Necklace
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Artisan Information:
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