The Heart of a Real Christian

Hello Friends,

How are you doing today! As I was sitting in my office this week, I found myself traveling back in time, but not too far back in time. I travelled back to last weekend when the weather was beautiful: the sun was shining, the birds were singing, there were a few clouds hovering in the sky, and people were driving around town with their windows down; and I was eager to do some work outside. I travelled back in time because this weekend was the complete opposite: it was cloudy, gloomy, rainy, a little chilly, and all I wanted to do was stay inside and build a Lego and read a book. I am ready for Spring! Are you ready for Spring?

I mention the contrast of weather patterns to help us begin to think about what it means to follow Jesus. During our days, we get so consumed about what things look like, what people are doing, and who is right and who is left that we find ourselves judging others. When we judge others we miss the point of what it means to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus means to have a heart that resembles him, that helps us act and think like him, and that helps us say what Jesus would say and do what Jesus would do. Essentially, to follow Jesus means to consider what is happening inside of us; what is happening in our heart because that is where Jesus lives. Jesus needs us to be real and not fake.

Let me help you understand what I mean. Listen to these words by my friend from Children’s Ministry Deals: Would anybody like one of these? This is a dollar bill, isn’t it? Doesn’t anyone want a dollar bill? You know I could hand you this dollar bill and let you take it to a store, but if you tried to buy anything with it, it wouldn’t work. You know why? Because this is Mo­nopoly money. It’s only good for paying bills in a Monopoly game, isn’t it? 

Now I bet all of you would like to have this dollar, right? This is a real dollar bill, right? How can you tell? It’s larger than the Monopoly money. It’s a different color. It has printing on both sides. It says United States Treasury written on it, and George Washing­ton’s portrait. 

You know, as distinct as this dollar bill is, there are people out there who still try to copy it. They can copy the paper, the ink, the colors, and the designs to make counterfeit money. But even if they do all that, you can tell a real dollar bill not by the outside. You see, every dollar bill has security thread inside the fibers of the bill. Did you know that? This little fiber, made of plastic or metal, depending on the size of the bill is actually woven into the dollar bill. It’s almost invisible when you look at the dollar, but if you hold it up to the light, you can see that security thread appear as a solid line. So we can say this is a dollar bill not because of the outside, what we can see, but what’s inside. 

You know the Bible says something similar about us. We can go to church, sing songs to God, put money in the offering plate. But God doesn’t just look at these outward signs. He also looks where? At the heart. The Bible says, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16 :7) In other words, you can’t fool God. (https://www.childrens-ministry-deals.com/pages/object-lesson-heart-changes)

You see, friends, if we want to follow Jesus and have a heart of a real Christian, then we can’t be fake: we can’t spend a lot of time judging what others are doing, what the weather is doing, or even what our pets are doing. To have a heart of a real Christian means to focus on what is happening on the inside because that is where Jesus lives: Jesus lives within our heart. I don’t know about you, but I certainly want to be a real Christian and follow Jesus and do what Jesus would do.

I want to challenge you not to be counterfeit or fake Christians, but real. Let God change the inner fibers of your heart so when people see you, they don’t see just a smiling face, but the heart of a real Christian.

Have a great week and pray for a little more sunshine!

Your Friend, Holy Spirit!