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Education Ministry

Posted on May 21, 2004 ...

When was the last time someone asked you, “What good is being a Christian, anyway?” Maybe never in those exact words, but I can almost guarantee the essence of this question was posed to you sometime in the last twenty-four hours. It might have been an urge to strike back at someone who wronged you. Or it might have come in the form of a grudge you have grown to enjoy. It might have been an opportunity to make yourself appear more important. Or it might have come in the form of a choice between God’s ways and your own desires.

There is a divide in the minds of many Christians and non-Christians alike between the ideals that are preached on Sunday and the realities of the rest of the week. For many (again, both Christians and non-Christians) religion is little more than irrelevant rules and blind hope in a fantasy after-life, with nothing to offer for the real issues of everyday life. Let’s face it, most people are quick to strike back, slow to forgive, hungry for self-importance, and more likely to say “yes” to themselves than to God.

Now don’t misunderstand, I place a lot of weight on the Laws of God and a great deal of hope in the promise of heaven. For me, these are good motivators to live for Christ. However, for much of our society, ancient rules and next-world promises are not all that attractive. If they were, people would be begging to know how to follow Jesus. The sad reality is they are not. So let me pose the question straight out, “What good is being a Christian, anyway?”

I offer the following as a place to start. If you truly center your life on God at the beginning of each day…

• You will experience the peace of God to handle the difficulties of the day.
  
• You will find strength to endure the trials and temptations that arise unexpectedly.
  
• You will become aware of the presence and power of God in and around you.
  
• You will find yourself being used by God to make your corner of the world a little better than it was the day before.
  
• You will become a friend to the friendless, a help to the helpless, and a comfort to the hurting.
  
• You will see the lives of other people improving.
  
• You will actually become a better person yourself.
  
• You will have less stress, more joy, and a sense of contentment at the end of the day; and you might even sleep better.

No, we should not stop talking about the high standard of godliness or the magnificent glories of heaven. But if we are going to follow our Lord Jesus, we need to get into the lives of people and let them see the goodness of God where they are – in the dirt and sweat of day-to-day life. This is Christianity out of the pews and into the trenches.