The Most Important Thing

I met her my freshman year of college...a Christian college. She was different, but I like different. So we became friends. After my freshman year I transferred to another school and we lost touch. A couple of years ago I got a friend request from her on facebook. I accepted her request and went to her page to find out what she had been up to and where she had been since we last saw one another. Much to my surprise I discovered that she was now a "practicing pagan." She was living in the mid-west. She had a husband...and a live-in boyfriend. Sometimes she had a girlfriend too. I was floored. I knew she had been raised in a Christian home. I wondered how her life had taken such a turn. I began to pray for her. I searched for common ground and focused on those things. When she posted things that I did not agree with spiritually I ignored them. I sent her messages and asked about her life. Eventually the sad tale was relayed to me piece by painful piece...abusive relationships, a child that she was forced to give up, parents who disowned her. My heart broke over the painful past that had turned her from the love of Jesus.

A few days ago she posted her decision to delete her facebook account due to the constant bombardment of in your face political and religious postings. I quickly obtained her email address so that I could remain in touch, but it got me thinking. How many of us proclaim the love of Jesus and then proceed to force our views on non-Christians? I'm not against having standards, but if our standards are proclaimed in such a way that we turn people away from Jesus then what good are they? Jesus is STILL more important than who I am voting for in the next election or my views on abortion, gay marriage, and the second amendment. Like Paul we should be resolved to know nothing "except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" 1 Corinthians 2:2. We may be the only Bible some people ever read. Are we attracting people to Jesus or turning them toward an eternity forever separated from Him? Are we sharing a message of love or standing in judgement and hatred?

The next time you feel the urge to broadcast your views or criticize others in a public forum such as facebook...STOP and THINK.

Before you share that picture...RECONSIDER.

Ask yourself, "How am I portraying my Jesus to the world?"

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2


As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9