This Past Week, have my actions represented Christ to my friends?

I have a card I keep in my purse. It asks simple questions that keep me on track as I walk this journey. I got it 9 years ago at youth convention. The first question asks about my actions and whether they represent Christ. This question used to convict me because I had so few Christian friends to impact. My hesitance to engage people that I would meet in my daily life filled me with regret. Who would I represent Christ to in my everyday life, besides my family that is? Well, that is still something I am working on and am happy to say making some progress in. I also see that representing Christ to my family on a weekly basis is not only vital it is incredibly hard. It take walking constantly in the Spirit to be able to do this effectively. I blow it , especially with my kids, on a regular basis, I'm afraid. Less so, since they are gone at College but I still manage to blow it once in awhile. I also see that we need to represent Christ to those who are believers. Young believers need mentors, older believers need encouragement, and every believer needs to be challenged to be their best. If we accept mediocrity from ourselves Christ loses. He has left us here as the representation of Him on this earth. He is not mediocre in the least, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, absolute purity and holiness is His character. Our actions speak louder than our words or our religious affiliation. What do your actions say about you? What do mine say about me? It's a good question to ask ourselves in the New Year.

A Radical Walk

I am enjoying so much reading one chapter of the Bible at a time for days on end, and sometimes 3 times each day. God is showing me so much. I have been meditating for the last couple weeks on Romans chapter 8 and what it means to walk in the Spirit. I added 2 Timothy 3 this week and they seem to go together perfectly. If I walk in the Spirit, I will not walk in the flesh. In 2 Timothy 3 we have a list of what walking in the flesh is. How often do I seek to please my self or love my self instead of seeking the Spirit. Every time I choose to grab the chocolate and every time I grab a novel or watch TV when I have not met with Him. I love money when I spend what I do not have. Even more so, I love money when I know the needs of this world and decide to not "look" at them or at least to barely glance and then spend what I have on myself. Ouch, that one is hard. There are so many things I spend on that I don't need when children go to bed hungry. I am often ungrateful. I know this by how often I fail to see that it is God who has blessed me. More and more I am feeling called to radical Christianity. It actually isn't all that radical. It is the Christianity of the first believers. We are so used to "saving" our lives for ourselves that it seems radical. What would it look like if every day was dedicated to seeking and serving Jesus. If Jesus could turn the world upside down with 12 and no internet, what could happen if we all got radical about our walk with God. While the phrase may be overused I have been thinking about "What would Jesus do" if he were here and he were me. Too often I fail at being that powerful daily witness. Too often I take the easy road. I will be spending time in the near future of this blog sharing my journey in Walking in the Spirit, what God is showing me and how I'm working it out. I pray that some of you will join me and we can bring a more "radical" expression of faith to the world that God has placed us in.