It’s time to be more than just a good Christian; it’s time to be a selfless one, too

I love being a Christian. I love having a relationship with Christ. I love having the Holy Spirit guide and direct me through life. I enjoy all the benefits of having friends that love Jesus.

By Marcus Kelly

New Life Foursquare

I love being a Christian. I love having a relationship with Christ. I love having the Holy Spirit guide and direct me through life. I enjoy all the benefits of having friends that love Jesus.

However there is one thing about being a Christian that drives me nuts. God is continually challenging me to be more like him. He is continually asking me to change the way I think. I don’t know about you, but in my life that is usually a pretty uncomfortable request.

Truth be told, I like me, I like the lazy, selfish, and not to mention judgmental me. Granted, no one else does (especially my wife), but I do. I like things my way and on my schedule. Don’t you?

When we say “yes” to Jesus we say, “no” to living a selfish lifestyle. Romans 12 says that we should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God then immediately then begins to deal with our ego. The word says don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought. This is followed up with the request to serve, teach, exhort, give and show mercy. He caps it off with “Let love be without hypocrisy.”

Every one of these requests typically doesn’t come naturally to humanity. These requests are requiring us to go beyond providing for self and caring for others.

Here is my challenge to all who say they are Christian. Don’t just focus on living a sinless lifestyle but live a selfless lifestyle as well. We all know that being a thief is bad or that we shouldn’t lie. God gave us some great guidelines with the Ten Commandments. We need to live that way. All I’m saying is don’t stop there. God wants us to live for other people. The two most important commandments in the Bible are to love God and love people. The question I have to ask myself is, “Is my love hypocritical?”

Do I stand in the pulpit and say love your wife only to ignore my own?

Do I say we must love Jesus only to ignore the least of these? The Christian life is more than statements its action as well.

Most people that know me probably wouldn’t say I am a lazy, selfish or judgmental person. But how many times do I feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit to encourage someone with a phone call or a visit only to say, “I’ll do it later.” How many times has God prompted my heart to give of my time or money only to say, “I don’t want to.” How many times have I looked down my nose at someone in judgment with a fake smile on my face? I wish I could say I never do but then I’d be a liar and guilty of the sin we tend to focus on.

I know in my life it’s time to be more than a good Christian; it is time to be a selfless Christian. At least that’s what God’s been talking to me about lately. How about you? What is God talking to you about?