A Remarkable Life

This morning at church we had an amazing sermon entitled "The Most Remarkable Things About Christians." Our pastor defined this in such simple terms - "What makes a Christian remarkable is seeing their lifestyle reflect that of Jesus." We were challenged to identify what areas of our life reflected Him & what areas did not. Here are a few questions I have been challenged by & am pondering this week:

• Matt 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world . . . Let your light shine before men so they may see your good deeds & praise your Father in heaven." - This implies there is darkness around, and begs the question: Does my life bring light where I am at & does my behavior lead to the praise of God?

• Matt 5:43-47 "Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you." For Jesus to say this, obviously implied that loving & praying for enemies was not our natural bent. So what does my love & heart reflect for those I have labeled enemies?

• Matt 6:12 "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." What does my capacity for forgiveness reveal? Can I ask the Lord to forgive me, when I can't forgive another?

• Matt 7:12 "Do to others what you would have them do to you." Does the kindness in my life reflect the life of Jesus?

• Matt 22:39, John 13:34-35 "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By THIS (your love) all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Is my capacity to love growing to be like Jesus?

So I left church thinking, "What am I doing, what is my family doing that is remarkable? When others see us or hear us, do they see or hear Jesus? Is my capacity to Love, Serve, Forgive, Give, Be Patient, Be Forgiving, Be Kind growing by God's Grace?"

At first, I was thinking remarkable meant the apostle Paul, Billy Graham, and other Giants in the Faith, so obviously we weren't that remarkable. BUT, the more I have pondered I've realized that Jesus did many things quietly & discreetly to minister to individual hearts. This opened my eyes to things/people very close to me who truly are remarkable:

• Kevin - sincere heart & compassion for those who don't know Jesus
• Isabelle - her persistent dedication for orphans all over the world
• JM - his deep love for God & a prayerful desire to show God's love to others
• Other - strongly desires to raise her family counter-culturally & focused on the Lord
• Other - tutors children in poverty situations
• Other - Persistently prays & seeks to care for orphans & widows
• Other - Passionately shares the Word of God
• Other - sacrifices free time for those in need
• Other - Gives generously when needs arise
• Other - Quiet Patience can't be ruffled by any storm or chaos

This list could go on & on, I'm sure as you read this you could think of people you know who are doing remarkable things, (maybe quiet & behind the scenes) but remarkable none the less, for the Lord. Take time to thank God for them & encourage them in their service for the Lord.

I would challenge you to think & pray with me about what God is asking of you & where He wants to grow you to be more like Him. There are too many misconceptions of "Church" and "Christians" because we have made up so many of our own rules - let's just be like Jesus!