What the World is Waiting For

I was reading a bit of a Terry Pratchett book today; it had lots of rantings against religion. Amongst the ranting, I was challenged. He had a bone about religious people (specifically CHRISTIANS) just being nice but not much else. A lot of fluff but nothing substantial when it came to the crunch. I know I'm guilty of that.


It's strange that for a group of people who profess to have the truth and say that they can offer something amazing and life transforming, there aren't many Christians who live like it. We've gone limp and uninteresting. The Bible says it well: For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” (Rom 2:24).


Jesus was challenging, confronting; His standard was consistent, revolutionary. He was definitely someone who you'd have to respect even if you didn't agree with what He said. Christians are meant to be Jesus' disciples. I was told that in Jesus' day, a disciple of a rabbi didn't just follow the rabbi around and learn from him, they were working towards being exactly like the rabbi. Based on that, a lot of us don't fit the definition.


Jesus had convictions. A lot of Christians have belief but may not have a strong conviction about it, a conviction strong enough to move them to actions and habits that are consistent with Jesus' own. The world is full of different beliefs. They don't need us to tell them our beliefs, they want to see conviction in action. They don't want to become limp and uninteresting. Based on my interpretation of Terry Pratchett's rants, it seems everyone wants a conviction they can give their lives for. They're expecting us to show them what the fuss is about.


What if we didn't care what people thought about us and just lived true to our convictions? What if we were willing and hungry enough to pursue God until we were overtaken, completely captive to His heart and ways so that our beliefs aren't just good thoughts and adopted mantras but driving convictions that made us REAL, and showed God clearly to the world?


It's what the world is waiting for.