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Feb 05, 2025 06:00am

What Makes You Different?

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“Why would I want to be a Christian? You guys aren’t any different than me. You do the same things I do, and I’m not a Christian.”

If I wrote nothing else today, this would be enough to get the point across.

It was our first year of college, and someone asked our friend about his beliefs and if he was a Christian. His response left us a little stunned. At first, there was the thought of “How dare he!” and “Well, I never!” But, as the truth sank in, we felt the stab of our guilt.

He was right.

How were we any different than the rest of the world? We may have called ourselves something special, but our lives did not reflect change, obedience, or devotion to Christ.

What could we possibly offer to someone as a reason that they should accept Christ? We could say many things, but at that moment, we realized we weren’t living it out. There was no evidence that Christ was Lord of our life.

We were hypocrites.

Romans 2:17-29 NLT

“17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. 18 You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. 19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.

21 Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. 26 And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? 27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.

28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.”

Addressing this issue with the Jews was not an easy task. But Paul was the perfect man for the job. He was once a Pharisee, a keeper of the law. He knew what it was to know the truth and think he was special because he had this incredible wealth of knowledge. He could recite the scriptures just as fast and accurately as anyone. He believed he was “enlightened”.

But what good was that? If he had the truth but didn’t actually follow it? His encounter with Christ completely changed him. When people looked at Paul now, they saw something different. Paul knew he had to share what he learned with the Jews, whether they wanted to hear it or not.

It’s verse 24 that gets me the most. “No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

Paul’s right. It’s no wonder that others don’t want anything to do with the church, to become a Christian, or to learn about the Bible. We’ve been horrible ambassadors for Christ. Our lives are supposed to reflect Him, and yet…

When others look at your life, what do they see? Do they see Christ in you? Is your life overflowing with the fruit of His Holy Spirit? Yes, we fail, but do others get to witness our genuine repentance and see the power of God moving through us?

We are all a work in progress. Jesus continues to work on each of us daily. But there should be some evidence of a construction zone. There should be something that causes the world to want to stop and see what God is doing.

Our friend didn’t see anything in us that would cause him to want what we had. Why should he? Only a few short months after that conversation, he was in a car wreck and passed away.

And that, my friends, is heartbreaking. It’s the gut-wrenching truth that hits me every day. I want my life to reflect Christ! I want people to see Him in me. I want them to say, “I need what she has!” I want my actions and my words to reflect what’s in His Word. I want my heart to be His. Not for my glory, but for HIS!

If you want that too, but you’re not sure how I’d love to show you. Go to follow.lifeword.org, and let me walk you through some quick videos to show you who Jesus is and what it means to be changed by Him. He is the Light of the World, and we can reflect that light to a lost and dying people. Will you do that today?