I once heard a speaker say, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would they find enough evidence in your life to convict you?”
Well, hearing that convicted me in another way. I asked myself: Was I a Christian first and foremost, or second and almost?
One of the most terrifying sections of the Bible to me is Matthew 7:21-23 when Jesus is teaching about true and false disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Salvation is certainly the most disastrous place to indulge in a false sense of security; the consequences are dire.
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about very prominent Christian singers, writers, and speakers who are either denouncing Christ altogether, supporting radically unbiblical theology, or claiming they no longer want to be known as a “Christian artist,” but rather just an artist. These are folks who have built very successful careers using the Bible as a platform…their public apostasy has the potential to shake our faith or solidify it. Ultimately, we are in control of ourselves and our walks with the Lord.
Today, I want to encourage you to ask yourself: are you a Christian who is a teacher, or a teacher who is a Christian? If a situation at your job challenged your principles and biblical values (as is more and more common in this time and culture), what would you do? Would there be enough evidence in your life to prove without a doubt that you are guilty of following Christ?
In the end, we must choose whose approval we want more: the world and its authorities, or Christ himself.
Father God, in this lost and broken world, please strengthen me to follow You closer every day. Please help me run the race You have set before me and finish it well, no matter who may fall to my right or left. Please help me to be sincere in my love for You in all that I do and show that love to everyone I encounter. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Copyright Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi.
Rhapsody is a member and high school English teacher from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping struggling teachers strike a balance between success and sanity at her blog, tightropeteaching.com.
