“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
Intro into DC Talk’s song “What if I stumble”
I have been a hypocrite. I have been rebellious. I have claimed to be a Christian, but denied Jesus through my actions and even my words.
Yet, he still saved me by His grace. I stand redeemed.
“But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression, it is by grace you have been saved.” [Ephesians 2:4-5]
He leads me through everyday with His words. He has given me knowledge.
“The sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. It wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.” [Isaiah 50:4-5]
He freed me from the law and calls me His daughter, an heir of the most high kingdom.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” [1 John 3:1]
He gifted me with all of those things and much, much more, but I still take advantage of them. I am still a sinner. Before coming on the World Race, I didn’t quite realize the amazing love God has for me. I didn’t understand that the spiritual world is more real than the one I am living in. I didn’t put God first. There are so many things I didn’t do, but it was so hard to see that I was in the wrong. Everyone around me was doing the same things. I was so distracted by consumerism, people, selfishness: AMERICA, that I couldn’t see beyond the present.
I LOVE AMERICA. When I was there I couldn’t wait to leave, but now I can’t wait to get back. You have every resource at your finger tips. You have freedom to do almost anything you could ever want to do. The best customer service in the world can be found there. America really is the land of opportunity. But, it is so hard to see through all of the Americanism. [Americanism: I don’t know if this is a real term, but in my mind it is a combination of consumerism, selfishness, materialism, pride, greed, and individualism.] Like I said before, I LOVE AMERICA, so don’t hate me for saying those things. They are truths that I have had to realize about my home. When I was home it was so hard for me to fully comprehend Christianity because of Americanism. Christianity is the opposite of that definition. Jesus focused on loving others above himself. He was homeless, and owned almost nothing. He wanted for nothing but the love of His Father. He clothed Himself in humility. He lived in community with the disciples.
Christianity is the predominant religious affiliation in America, with 87% of Americans claiming to be Christians.
Shouldn’t that mean we regularly see how God is working all around us?
That almost anywhere we go we see Christians testifying how good our God is?
Why is my generation so scared to embrace the love God is constantly pouring out on us?
Why can’t non-Christians see us living like Christ?
One thing I’ve learned about myself while on the race is that I need to step it up in America. I need to be Jesus to people that aren’t Christians. I need to love those that have wronged me. I need to have a heart for people like Jesus. I need Jesus’ eyes. I need to change.
