Reaction

"In my expirience it is much easier to act like a Christian than it is to act like one. Most of us are good actors-we can play the part. But our reactions reveal who we really are."

~Mark Batterson

Today was a weird day. Perry and Sam left after visiting all weekend, and it was definitely way harder than when I left them in Niceville. After they left my focus was shot, and felt like I was somewhere else. It was no good. I'm not trying to excuse myself I should be focused on God even when I am not around my best friends, but that was not the case today. That's why I started with the qoute from Wild Goose Chase. Sam, Perry, and I talked a lot about that book this weekend and this quote was from one of my favorite sections entitled "React Like A Christian."

Anyways after they left I went over to a friend's house for some food and games since it was our day off, and needless to say I didn't react like a Christian at all. I wasn't reflecting Christ at all to this people in my language or actions. After I got home I felt terrible. I didn't want to do anything really but sleep. The last thing I wanted to do was write a blog entry, because I really didn't feel like talking about my strugs or even reading and reflecting on the day for that matter. But when I got home I spent some time with God, and he definitely gave me a message to share.

The first thing I did was flip to the section in Batterson's book "React Like A Christian," and this highlighted section stuck out to me and it was just what I needed to hear. "Is there somebody in your life that brings out the worst in you? When you're around her, you react in ways you later regret. Or maybe it's someone who gets on your nerves or under your skin. Here's my advice: pray for them! Nothing reconditions our spiritual reflexes like prayer. Start praying for the difficult people in your life and it will change the way you feel about them." I read that, and I knew I had to write about it. The hardest part about all of this for me is the people that tend to bring out the worst in me are people that I have known for a long time, and that I used to consider some of my best friends.

Then I started to read my Bible, and coincidentally I'm going through Hebrews and today I was in Chapter 11 which is all about faith. The first verse that really stuck out to me was Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists." I believe God exists, but I didn't react like it. My entry Our God Reigns was all about this faithless lifestyle. If you all haven't noticed I tend to write about things I am struggling with, because I feel like most people struggle with similar things. Anyways this verse brought James 2:17 to mind "So also faith by itself, if it doesn't have works, is dead." I'm not saying I have a dead faith, but if I was completely honest about today I would have to yes my faith was dead. And that is hard to say. It sucks. It just goes to show little these blog entries mean. They are empty without reacting like Christ.

I was reading through my study Bible about verse 11:1 and it talked about the use of the word assurance. The verse reads "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for..." Assurance comes from the Greek hypostasis which can also be translated to mean "confidence." It goes on to talk about how Christian faith is not a blind "leap in the dark," but it is confident and assured. If we are called to be faithful and confident why do we react so poorly? For me it's a matter of focus and humbling myself. If I'm not focused on God I'm going to react with my flesh, and that doesn't really reflect anythig good back to people. But if I am focused on God I am confident and assured and my reactions look remarkably different.

It's times like these when I am definitely surprised how I easily I forget what it is written on my arm. "I do not exist only You exist - Galatians 2:20." Galatians 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no loger I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God." It straight up says on my body that I live by faith, by confidence, by assurance in the Son of God. If that is so shouldn't I react more like Christ? It is much easier to act then to live a true Christian life.

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching about reactions. He told us to turn the other cheek, love our enemies, and even bless those who curse us. That doesn't sound natural, because it isn't. We cannot do it on our own as evidenced by my story today. When we do not die daily for Christ we do not react like Christ. Our whole Christian life is built on reactions, but so many times I tend to overlook them. We receive salvation by reacting to God's love and grace. We receive God's grace and forgiveness by reacting to it and accepting Christ. We react to God's love by loving Him back and by loving people. We are a reactionary people. God set it up that way. His love is proactive and our position is to be reactive, because we cannot do it on our own.

John 3:27 "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven."

I pray that God will continue to work and change all of us, so that our reactions will reflect Christ and not our sinful nature.