What does your letter say?

For all of us Christians, do you ever ask yourself who am I? What is your identity? If you ask yourself who you are, what first comes to mind? Think on that for a minute. Does redeemed child of God come first or is it somewhere after things like, “Teacher, Mechanic, Republican, Patriot, mother, father, friend, artist, poet….” Or is Believer first?  If it is not, then think about why bondservant of Christ is not #1. Where is your treasure? Where your treasure is, there, indeed, is your heart.  Jesus said we are to love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, and ALL your strength. Do you see that in yourself? Are the other things in line with Christ-follower?  2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.’ We need to examine ourselves often and, yes, it is very uncomfortable and even terribly painful at times. You know that speck in our own eye that we need to look at? Find it. (I guarantee you, God will work on you and you’ll find another and another. I feel like I’m layered like an onion. One layer comes off and reveals another new sin God wants me to see and repent of ). 

Move on to the next question: John 14:15 says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” What did Jesus say was the greatest commandment? Look in the paragraph above - love Him with your ALL because He is your ALL in ALL. What’s the second? To love your neighbor as yourself.  Ephesians 5:29 states that, “for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church.” We should be loving others as Christ loved us - sacrificially, Ouch. That’s hard. And yet, this is the mark of a Believer. In John 13:35, Jesus tells us, ““By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Look at verse 34 because He says, “as I have loved you.” Again, how does He love us? Yes, sacrificially. What is involved in that? I won’t list all of the verses here because the whole BIble joyfully shouts it - go the extra mile, give the cloak as well, esteem the needs of others more highly than your own. Visit the sick, the imprisoned, comfort those in mourning.  Love your enemies. Pray for those that persecute you. Do good to those who despitefully use you.  How should we do it?? WITHOUT grumbling and complaining. (Yikes, also hard).

Next question: who are the people that are going to know us by our love? The world. Those outside. Unbelievers. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone," Col. 4:5-6  Our lives are no longer our own, they are hidden with Christ in God. Those lives we live in the flesh have a purpose - to share  the Good News, to do the good works that were created beforehand for us to walk in. Whatever we do in word or deed, we are to do it all to glorify Him. That’s humbling, isn’t it? This is what the world should see. (Thank goodness for Romans 7, because this is a tall order but we have a GREAT Savior).

2 Corinthians 3:3 “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” Another question:  what does your letter say? 

Okay, this is where the pictures come in. This is a very small sampling of the reaction the world has to the letter many of us are sharing with them during these days of COVID19 - and it is not pretty.  It is bringing shame to the name of Jesus.  Some of us have made a huge issue about the masks - and yes, I know you have your “right to your own opinion,” but I ask - who are you in Christ? Who do you belong to? Whose opinion should you have?  If you have been bought with that precious blood, then earthly “rights” and “treasures” should pale compared to the divine wonder of serving Jesus. 

These pictures are just a couple of comments answering believers who proclaim their faith but also loudly protest the wearing of masks. I’ve seen so many more - and I’ve seen believers posting that “everyone who knows me knows I am good, kind, etc.…”  Yes, and to people who know you this is likely very true -- but what does your letter read to those Outside. What do they see? That, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road. If we are to be 1) subject to governing authorities and 2) show our love by our actions (faith without works is dead) and the world sees the simple discomfort of a mask as a way to show the beautiful caring heart of Christ, how can we do otherwise?  Where is our treasure? And is not the God we profess able to strengthen us and uphold us through such a small discomfort? We have brothers/sisters in Christ around the world dying to spread the Gospel and yet this small act of love is protested loudly and with tremendous complaint all over social media. Read Matthew 5:43-48 - we should go beyond loving ourselves, loving our own household.  

We represent Jesus. We should be shouting 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” rather than stomping our feet about our rights being violated by an act of kindness (that many work hard to dig up anything that will get us off the hook from doing).  If it doesn’t hurt you that unbelievers are appalled by the ranting and raving over masks, ask yourself again who you are.  If you are not happy with the answer, repent, put your focus back on Him, remember His love for you and let Him write the letter He wants you to share with the world. 

**Yes, these comments have foul language; I’m sharing these few so we who are His see us as the world sees.There are far worse.  Is this what we, the Church, want our letter to the outside to read?  Remember, these are in response to professing Christians publicly complaining about masks. (The ones criticizing government officials are awful, too. I look back on my past political posturing and I am so ashamed). Let’s walk circumspectly, members of the Body.