Christians are people who are followers of Jesus Christ.  As Christians, we have surrendered our lives to Christ and allow Him to lead, guide and direct us.  We have acknowledged that we are sinners in need of a savior to rescue us from the punishment of our sins, which is separation from God for eternity.  We believe that savior is Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who became human by entering the world born of a virgin.  God’s perfect, blameless Son took all the sins upon Himself and was crucified on a cross, dying for our sins.  After three days, He conquered death, by rising to life again.  As Christ-followers, we believe that after we die, our eternity will be spent with God in heaven.

And we are weird.  We act weird, and I’d love to take a moment to explain why we are such weirdos.

We don’t belong here on earth.  This is not our home; heaven is.  Heaven is our hope; heaven is what we long for.  Once a person becomes a new creation, when his life is radically changed by becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, he will begin to see the things/events/people around him in a VERY different light.  He will see them through God’s eyes.  EVERYTHING is put into a whole new perspective.  EVERYTHING is now viewed against the backdrop of eternity.

Therefore,
-when bad things happen, we know WHO holds our life in His hands
-when we are weak in this life, we know where to find strength
-when there seems to be no hope, we have hope
-when evil seems to be in abundance, we know Christ has already conquered evil
-when fellow, Christian, loved ones pass away, we know we will see them again

We know that there is sin & evil in the world because God loves us.
Wait, what???
There is evil BECAUSE God loves us???
Yes.  Our God, our Creator, loves us SO much that He wants us to CHOOSE to worship Him, rather than be forced to worship Him.  So, He gave mankind a choice, and in the Garden of Eden, the choice was made, causing sin to enter the world.

You all have heard that in order for climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, they must acclimate themselves to the climate & altitude changes.  This means that climbers spend as much, or more, time going down the mountain than going up to the summit.  Acclimation is a very slow, deliberate process to prepare the body for the high altitude and the lack of oxygen that comes with it.

You see, the summit of Mt. Everest is not their home.  They must acclimate to it.John_14-2

For Christians, this is not our home.  How do we acclimate?  By getting into the Word of God, the Bible, everyday.

God knew that Christians would need to be sustained in this life on earth.  He knew that we would need sustenance daily.  We would need Him daily.  Look at the Lord’s prayer…”Give us Lord, our daily bread”…not weekly bread, not monthly bread, but DAILY bread.  We’ve got to get that bread daily to navigate this place that is not our home.

When we have that daily bread flowing through our system, when we hear bad news, we remember that God is our hope.  We remember to trust in Him.  We remember examples woven all throughout the Bible where God provided.  This is why we look weird when bad news falls upon us; we know it is not the end of God’s work, His power.  We know that in all things, and through all things, that God is there.  He is working in ways that we may not ever know this side of heaven.

If you have not become of follower of Jesus and this way of acting weird, of seeing things differently, sounds good to you–if you are ready to change paths, and commit your life to Jesus, it’s such a simple thing to do: Admit, Believe and Confess.  ABC’s.

A: admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior
B: believe that Jesus is God’s son, whom God sent to take the punishment of our sins, that He died & arose again
C: confess–tell others about your decision that you have made.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”   Romans 10:9

Then, watch for those fingerprints of God to be all over your life!  Watch as He moves to forge a path for you. Watch as He brings UNEXPLAINABLE peace, comfort, hope to you, even during hard times. Watch as He begins to use you to bring others to Him. Never cease to be amazed by the things that He will do in your life.

Then, tomorrow, and each day following, take in His bread, the Word of God. Sit down with the Bible–read, see, discover what His voice sounds like, how He works, how He loves people, and how He wants you to love  the same.

Then, you can be weird like me, in this place that is not our home. Trust me, you WILL NOT regret this decision. My friend, it will be the greatest decision of your life. Don’t delay.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” ~Jesus               Matthew 7:7

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” ~Jesus           John 14:2