Last week I talked about how God has called us all to strive to be more and more like Christ, and how, as a result, we will become more similar with other believers.  If you have not had a chance to check it out I encourage you to do so.

This week is similar to last, but with a different take. 

We use the term "Christian" when referring to someone who has come to a "saving knowledge" of who Christ is.

I started think about this following Pastor Doug's comments on doing something as simple, yes simple, as reading our Bibles.  Now this is a thought and not an attack as I too fail to do this on occasion for a number of excuses I can give you, but there is truly one reason.  I don't care enough.  Bottom line.

So, here I am thinking of how many teens, parents, leaders, etc. that we have in our church that fail to do something as little and fundamental as reading God's Word.
Then I started thinking about everything else we fail to do, and before long I looked at this mess and came to a conclusion...

You are what people see you as...

If teens see me as an uncaring, annoying, sarcastic (only once or twice a week), or otherwise unfit as a minister, teacher and leader then I am just that...
If co-workers see you as callous, envious, jealous, hateful, bitter person; guess what...  that is who you are to them.

So looking at this in terms of our faith and our calling to step it up a level this year, what do people see concerning our faith?

Do they see glimpses or Christ, little 'Jesus-moments' here and there, a daily pledge to walk out your faith, or an empty shell claiming to be something that they never see?

What are you?  What am I?

If I claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then I claim to live a life striving to become him in every way I possibly can as a child of God.

This is the same thing we all claim to be as "Christians."

So here is where I struggle...

Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me daily."

Luke 14:27 Jesus says, "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."....right before this is v. 26 he says..."anyone who does not hate...even his own life - he cannot be my disciple."

Here is my mind working through this problem.......

Jesus says I have to daily give up myself to become more and more like him, and that if I fail to do so I cannot be his disciple.  The quandary only grows deeper when you look at the fact that a man has to hate even his own life; meaning that we have to, in essence, turn from all the things we are and want that interfere with Christ in any way...I would have to love Christ more than my own self.  Yet, I see so many people, teen & adults alike, claiming to be something that is never seen by anyone else because they "love me some me", as T.O. would say, way too much to give a flip about what Christ would have them become.

So what am I?  What are you?

If we claim to follow I suggest we do so, because if Christ does not seem too convinced as stated in Luke 17:26-27....

What are you?
Know the cost, know the value, know the calling, and know it needs to be seen.  (James 2:18-20)