"Christian" actually means....

Yesterday was an amazing day to be alive, but then again so is today. Each morning that I rise I thank God for blessing me with another day. I thank him for all of my blessings as I look at my children, my home, etc. I realize that I have far more than so many and I try, I mean REALLY try not to take the small things for granted. Yesterday while I was sitting in an amazing church service given by Pastor Steve Woody at FUMC Livingston (which I would love to invite each of you to attend if you don't have a church home or are looking for somewhere to feel at home), I had so many thoughts going through my mind. The title of the sermon was "Importance: of a Name". The passage to go along with yesterday's sermon was Mark 8:27-38. I am not going to post the whole thing here so you may want to look it up on your own. The whole sermon really made me think about how people think of "Christians". Being a Christian isn't a "Sunday" thing. Being a "Christian" isn't about being better than anyone. It doesn't mean that you have the right to judge, or determine what is in someone's heart. "Christian" translated means "little Christ". We were created in His image as humans. In the passage from yesterday in Mark 8:34 Jesus calls the crowd to "deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." This means we should turn away from the worldly and instead turn to cross. Taking up the cross and following Jesus should not be something anyone is ashamed of. I am not ashamed of the fact that Jesus Christ is MY Savior! I am not ashamed to say that I'm sold out for Christ! By denying ourselves Jesus calls us to leave ourselves behind and instead try to be more like him. In Mark 8:35 Jesus tells the crowd "for whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." While we live in a different world from 100 or 200 years ago, or even 2000 years ago for that matter there are still religious prejudices, and persecutions happening. Being a Christian isn't easy, or trivial. Pastor Woody shared a saying, it was that "anything worth having comes with a cost, you have to give things up for things to get better." There is a price to pay if we are to be called Christians. Whether the cost is by being looked at a certain way by people, or if you are called to actually give something up there is a cost. I'm not afraid of being called a Christian. Being called a Christian to me doesn't mean I am perfect. I am a human, which means I am imperfect and sin. God knows this and yet he loves me anyways. I try to be as much like Christ as I can though. I try to forgive, to not harbor ill feelings towards others. I ignore the gossip and make every effort to not participate by also having a tongue that licks out and causes hurt for others. I rebuke the devil for trying to win me over to his fight against Christ. I share my faith, and am never ashamed to tell people how Jesus is in my heart. I know that there are times when you are in the valley and you can't even imagine light at the end of the tunnel, but God can lift you out of that valley. It is a misconception to think that it will be instantaneous or that he will instantly fill your wallet with riches. It is important to remember that God has a plan for each of us. Whether we follow it or not He loves us. If you will turn to Him, pray and be faithful then He will show us the path He wants us to take. I will be the first to say that I am not perfect, but there is no better feeling than to experience God's love. So whether you are being called to "give up" that grudge or bad habit, or whether you are just denying the cross, know that He still loves you. It is a love that is unconditional and never wavering. We are all children of God, and I personally am proud to be.