are we hypocrites?

I'm reading a book called "When the Game is Over it All Goes Back in the Box" by John Ortberg right now. All in all, it's a good book. And I've been enjoying reading it. There is one quote today that really seemed to jump off the page at me.

"The world gets pretty tired of people who have Christian bumper stickers on their cars, Christian fish signs on their trunks, Christian books on their shelves, Christian stations on their radio, Christian jewelry around their necks, Christian videos for their kids, and Christian magazines on their coffee tables but don't actually have the life of Jesus in their bones or the love of Jesus in their hearts."

I started thinking after I read that and realized, sadly, how true that can be. We claim to be followers of Christ, yet we don't do a very good job of actually living the way we are called to live.

I know I can often find myself claiming to be a follower of Christ and yet looking down on those around me rather than loving them with the love of Christ. I've really begun to notice this with where I work now. I claim to follow Christ and have His love in me . . . and yet, I look down on the guy who lives on the street and has an addiction problem who walks through the doors of the Gospel Mission. And, this is nothing new or strange to me wno that I work there. Yet, I do it still. And then, when I do have the time (take the time) to sit down and have a conversation with them I'm reminded that they too are human and need someone to love them.

In a world where it is so easy to claim to be Christian, I wonder if we have lost the importance of living the way that Christ has called us to live. We can put the Christian bumper sticker on our car and play the Christian music as we drive without worry about what the consequences may be for doing so. Yet, we're also the ones yelling at or swearing at the dirvers around us that do something that bothers us. What kind of a picture of Christ are we giving the world?

So much of the teaching in the New Testament focuses on how we are to live as followers of Christ. As I read Scripture, I wonder what we would look like to the world if we actually lived that way:

• What if we actually sought to serve others rather than be served ourselvse?
• What if we chose to love ALL PEOPLE - even those who the world would call our enemies?
• What if we gave generously out of what we have rather than just giving the minimum we can get away with?
• What if we willingly walked alongside and helped out those around us who are hurting and in need?

I think the world would see us very differently. And we would be finally giving the world an accurate picture of what the Body of Christ - the Church - looks like. The Church is not a building but a group of people sent out to change the world!

I just want to close with that quote from the book again for you to think about:
"The world gets pretty tired of people who have Christian bumper stickers on their cars, Christian fish signs on their trunks, Christian books on their shelves, Christian stations on their radio, Christian jewelry around their necks, Christian videos for their kids, and Christian magazines on their coffee tables but don't actually have the life of Jesus in their bones or the love of Jesus in their hearts."