Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NIV
There are times when I have felt like people don’t realize just how kind I can be! Well maybe not when I’m feeling mean and spiteful towards someone but even then … I need to reflect on that s tatement!
Sometimes people make the mistake of assuming that because you’re a Christian then you are good, nice and very giving.
Now, my purpose here is to debunk that myth because there is a big difference between being a ‘religious person’ and being a Christian. A lot of the world is obsessed with religion – particularly the Roman Catholic church – and the idea that they have some magic list of rules to follow in order to get into heaven. But the Bible tells us something different.
I grew up as an Anglican in England where the Church of England is really no different from its Roman Catholic counterpart. It was all about going through the motions rather than actually doing anything useful or meaningful!
We also spent quite a lot of time talking about what we should do so as not to upset God and being sure that we did certain things, like going to church on Sundays, saying our prayers and confessing our sins in front of the priest or vicar (whatever …)
That idea that we must get to know God by following a set of rules is in itself totally illogical. In fact I could easily quote chapter and verse to prove it! Because all too often people who call themselves Christians seem to be obsessed with trying to earn their salvation by working hard and knowing right from wrong.
But as the story goes with the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus day – they knew what God wanted … but they didn’t live it! You see Jesus was always talking about love; he showed love for everyone but this is something that a lot of people miss out on or simply refuse to understand. Even today you will still hear people say, “the Lord loves me because I am special.”
They say this because they have been taught that they are chosen above others by virtue of the fact that they call themselves Christians but that is not at all true. They have it the other way around! What God wants is for you to know Him and give your life to Him – that’s why He sent His Son to die on the cross. That’s why we celebrate Easter every year in memory of that amazing sacrifice.
The Truth About Being “Christian”
We look at the word ‘church’ and it conjures up images of stuffy old people sitting silently while an elderly guy in a white robe talks to them. So many movies have brought us examples of this kind of behavior but still people are taught that this is somehow ‘true Christianity’ because it comes from ‘holy scripture.’
Now I do not blame the church leadership of the past. The Roman Catholic church in particular has a history which if left unchecked would bring down the entire system. The power struggles, political influences and outright corruption within the system was almost endless.
Most religions tend to be controlled by people who are not necessarily very spiritual or connected to any higher authority. They are there more because they have money or political influence than anything else because this is what they think gives them power over others.
What God wants is for His children to be free from the rules and regulations imposed upon them by the world. If these rules were useful for making society better then that would be fine, but they simply aren’t. All they do is keep people tied up in knots, trying their best to conform to ‘what is right’ only to end up being punished for not following all of ‘God’s commands.’
The idea behind Christianity is actually pretty simple. We believe that God sent Jesus to die for our sins – sin being the action which brings God’s wrath against us – so Jesus gave his life freely so we wouldn’t have to worry about being punished for being weak human beings.
Once you accept that Jesus paid the price for your sins, you are forgiven and your sins are forgotten and you are reconciled back to God.
But unfortunately I know there are many people reading this thinking, “how can I know if I am saved?” This question is almost always asked by people who have been told the same thing over and over again without ever really understanding what happened or what they need to do.
Because if you’ve been taught that salvation comes from the works of your own hands, then that is where all of your energy is directed – you try all kinds of different things in order to avoid judgment when death comes knocking.
This isn’t God’s plan at all! He does not want you worrying about what He might do; He is not interested in creating fear in your heart so that He might use it to force you into submission. Instead He wants to show you that all you have to do is ask and receive – His grace covers you completely for everything you have done wrong.
You just have to come back to Him and allow Him to take care of it – because He promises never to leave nor forsake us!
How To Be Kind To Others
When you consider the Christian story, it should make sense that kindness comes easy to the followers of Christ. After all, Jesu s came to earth as a humble man in order to save mankind from itself and that story can only lead to one conclusion: God is a kind God who loves humanity.
So how do we become kind? We start by reconnecting with God and allowing Him to transform our hearts so we may imitate Him. Then we share our love with those around us by allowing their burdens to become ours! But not only do we need to be loving others but it is vital that we show ourselves some self-love too.
As I mentioned before, Christians seem to forget how good God really is because they become so focused on all of their flaws. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need love, respect and kindness – just like anyone else. They deserve it just as much as anybody else!
Conclusion
So my advice to you: stop worrying about what you should do and start focusing on what you already know. God loves you and all that He asks of you is faith! Let your actions speak louder than words and let them be kindness, joy, peace and hope. Allow your actions speak for you because they are more powerful than words ever will be.
Focus on being kind. It doesn’t matter whether or not people think you are good enough or worthy enough for salvation because God sees us for who we truly are: His children deserving of His love and mercy.
Knowing this truth gives Christians freedom from worrying about what others think of them. We can focus on reaching out to help them instead of hiding behind the mask of the false ‘good Christian’.