Lawn Chairs - Part II

In yesterday’s post I mentioned how ashamed I felt of my 2 old lawn chairs last Saturday.  I suppose that, all things considered, there are much worse things to feel ashamed about.  Like getting a traffic ticket on a busy highway.  Or getting arrested.  But that’s not the point.  The point is that it is this same peer-pressure and wanting to 'fit in' that often hurts our Christian witness.  Me, where a T-shirt with a cross on it?  No thanks.  Say grace in public before I eat?  Umm, no.  Carry a Bible with me?  Heaven forbid!  Talk about Jesus?  Are you crazy?  We all want to be liked, not laughed at.  Accepted, not rejected.  Respected, not disrespected.  Our culture has done a very good job of dictating what’s acceptable and what isn’t.  And any show of religion, of genuine spirituality, is unwelcome.  Even offensive.

Then I am reminded of the words of Jesus.  In Luke 9:26 He said the following.  “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”  Wow.  If Jesus was good at anything it was at getting straight to the point.  If we are ashamed of Him, in our home, at school, at work, in our dorm room, the local restaurant, He will be ashamed of us when He returns.  Can you imagine what that might look like?  Here’s Jesus, in all of His splendor and glory, surrounded by tens of thousands of glorious angels, and He is ashamed of us.  I don’t know exactly how this plays out but maybe He avoids looking at us.  Or turns His back on us.  Pretends that we aren’t even there.  Now that would be embarrassing.

So, everyday we have a choice to make.  Do we want to be accepted, admired and respected by the world?  Or Jesus?  Ultimately we can’t have both.  For a number of years we, as Christians, could.  But not any more.  Now we must make a choice.  Like Joshua of old, as for me, I want to publicly align myself with Jesus.  I want others to know that I believe in Him.  That I am His child.  That I follow Him.  And love Him.

So, I going to wear T-shirts with an evangelistic message.  And I’m going to say grace in public.  No matter how many people are around me.  I’m going to carry my Bible to church.  And up to the hospital when I visit.  I’m going to mention the name of Jesus in public.  I don’t care what others think.  Because I care more about what Jesus thinks.  And I don’t want Him to be ashamed when He returns.  I want to be vindicated.  I want Him to put His arm around me, point to me with pride and say, “This one's Mine!”

Lord, the world around me exerts a very powerful influence on me.  Every day.  I find it hard not to care what other people think of me.  There are times when I am secretly ashamed of You.  When I want to hide my love and devotion for You.  Help me to be strong.  To go against the tide of popular opinion.  To live for You in such a way that there is no doubt whom I serve.  To live for you in such a way that I will be a faithful witness.  And draw people to You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.