What the world needs now is....

Love, sweet love?
Jobs?
Economic Security?
Peace?
Food for the hungry?
Shelter for the homeless?


We need all of the above, but I have to say that I think really what the world needs more of is Jesus Christ. Even those of us who proclaim ourselves to be Christians, aren't necessarily proclaiming Jesus to the world. What we tend to proclaim more is judgement: what people should and shouldn't be doing out there in the big wide world. What's even more interesting is that for the most part, as Christians, we tend to be telling non-Christians how they should be living instead of making sure that we are living the way Jesus told us to live.

There's a song by Casting Crowns called "Jesus, Friend of Sinners" which, if you listen to any contemporary Christian radio station, you have most likely heard. There is a line in that song that resonates deeply within me that states:

Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded.
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did.

Now, I am not saying that as Christians we aren't supposed to work hard to be holy and live under the Authority of Scripture. We are supposed to do this! But as Christians we are supposed to be worrying about ourselves more than others.   Instead of focusing first on what we are doing wrong (both as individuals and corporately as a Church), I look around our world and I see us (Christians) focusing more often on what other people are doing wrong.

I wonder what our world could look like if we took all the effort we spend on telling others how they are doing it wrong and focused on doing what Jesus called us to do. If instead of complaining about how others are messing up our world, what if we focused on what we can do to save it simply by being the people Jesus wants us to be.

Here are some things, as Christians, we should keep in mind as we go about our daily lives:

-“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? -Matthew 5:43-47

-Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets - Matthew 7:12

- “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. - Mark 8:34-38


Chesney Szaniszlo