Amidst the Chaos...

Edited by Myrna Moore

Happy mid-week!

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Marks of the Christian Life

What does a Christian look like?

In other words: what qualities are Christians characterized by? What kind of speech does a Christian use? How do Christians treat others? How do Christians handle conflict?

Let's take a look at Colossians 3 for some answers to these questions.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. {Colossians 3:12-15}

This passage paints a clear and direct picture of the marks of the Christian life.

Let's break this down, shall we?

{ ... holy and beloved ... } This describes our position in Christ as "the elect of God." The remaining qualities in the list are a natural outpouring of this.

{ ... bowels of mercies ... } Those who owe so much to the mercy of the Father are to be merciful to those who need mercy (see Luke 6:36).

{ ... kindness ... } Christians are characterized by a kindness that extends to everyone, not just those who are kind to us.

{ ... humbleness of mind ... } A Christian practices a humble mindset and thought pattern to match a humble demeanor (see Matthew 11:29 and Philippians 2:3).

{ ... meekness ... } Christians patiently bear the anger of others and bridle their own anger towards those who have provoked them.

{ ... longsuffering ... } Continued forbearance and patience towards those who continue to provoke (see I Corinthians 13:4). Since God is longsuffering, Christians are to exercise longsuffering to others in the same fashion.

{ ... forbearing one another ... } We all have something that others need patience to bear with. In the same way, we should patiently bear with others in what is disagreeable to us. In other words, Christians are to be characterized by a mutual patience for the imperfections we all have as sinful, fallen creatures.

{ ... forgiving one another ... even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye ... } Quarrels happen, even among "the elect of God." But it is our duty to forgive each other. A Christian is characterized by a readiness and willingness to forgive, because Christ forgave us.

{ ... put on charity ... } Unconditional love ("charity") is the capstone of the Christian faith, and an overriding principle in a Christian's life.

{ ... let the peace of God rule in your hearts ... } The Christian life is marked by a peaceable disposition, a peaceable spirit that keeps the peace and makes peace. This "peace of God" is working in all of those who are His. We are called to this peace - the privilege of peace with God and the duty of peace with our brothers and sisters as a body in Christ.

{ ... be ye thankful ... } Gratitude towards God and the provisions He has made for us (spiritual, material, etc.) is an important mark of the Christian life because He deserves our gratitude. It also sets the tone for a person's attitude, their disposition toward others and their outlook on life.

Colossians 3:12-15 serves as an excellent checklist for what the Christian life looks like. Each quality is just as important as the other. They all work together to exemplify Christ.

Prayerfully meditate on this checklist and ask the Lord to show you which qualities are lacking in your life. None of us are perfect, so none of us will ever exemplify Christ perfectly. We are not called to be perfect - we are called to strive toward Christ-likeness.

What does a Christian look like?

A Christian looks like Christ.

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Quotes by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis (or "Jack," as he liked to be called) is one of my favorite authors and Christian apologists. His writings are some of the most profound works on Christianity that I have read so far in my experience with Christian apologetic literature. His unique ability to describe complex ideas in a simple ways is an inspiration to me.

So, without further ado, I would like to share with you some quotes attributed to him that I have found helpful, thought-provoking, and encouraging. I hope they will minister to your heart, as well.

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."

"A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither."

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

"Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement."

"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."

"Nothing that you have not given away will ever really be yours."

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'" 

"We are what we believe we are."

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

 "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will be come unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time - waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God - it changes me." 

"Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."

"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning..."

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

"Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a dead world."

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

"What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it."

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?" 

"God allows us to experience the low points in life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn no other way."

"Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not."

"It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God."

"To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere."

"When you are arguing against God, you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all."

"God loves us, not because we're lovable, because He is love. Not because He needs to receive, because He delights to give."

"Faith in Christ is the only thing to save you from despair."

"When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place."

"If God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."

"If we only have the will to walk, then God is pleased with our stumbles."

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Spiritual Warfare

Exactly 68 years ago, in the early hours of the morning, the Allied Invasion of Normandy ("D-Day") began. The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history.

Over 160,000 land troops were involved in this operation: 73,000 American troops, 61,715 British and 21,400 Canadian. 195,700 allied naval and merchant navy personell in over 5,000 ships were involved as well.

 "You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely....The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking." - General Dwight D. Eisenhower giving the D-Day order on June 6, 1944.
 

As you can see, this was a massive undertaking! 

The landings took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normany coast. This landing site was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The Americans' orders were to take Utah and Omaha beaches while the British were to take Gold and Sword, leaving the Canadians to take Juno Beach.

D-Day was the beginning of the end for not only the German Armed Forces, but Hitler most of all.

In the same way, Satan is constantly plotting to invade and attack the souls of Christians. The Apostle Peter warns us to "[b]e sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" {I Peter 5:8}

 I don't know about you, but the thought of a hungry lion coming after me with the intent to kill is pretty terrifying to me!

How are we to defend ourselves from Satan's bombardments? The Apostle Paul answers that question for us in Ephesians 6:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" {Ephesians 6:10-17}

Paul uses the picture of a suit of armor to represent the most important doctrines of Christianity.

First, he stresses the necessity of putting on the entire suit of armor. If a knight failed to put on his entire suit of armor, he would leave himself exposed to the weapons of the enemy, resulting in severe injury or death.

The belt of truth ("loins girt about with truth"): The belt joins the suit of armor together and prevents it from sliding off the wearer's body. Truth, in the same way, is the central doctrine that links all the other elements of Christianity.

The footwear of peace ("feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"): Footwear protects the feet from anything that would hinder the wearer's movement. Peace, then, is the "footwear" that enables the Christian to share the Gospel with those who have not heard the name of Christ.

The shield of faith: Knights used the shield to stop enemy weapons from hitting their target. Faith is the shield the Christian uses to "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Without faith, the Christian has very little defense against the Devil's onslaughts.

The helmet of salvation: The helmet protects the most vital part of the body: the head, which houses the brain. If the head is damaged, the brain cannot work properly, and the whole body suffers. In the same way, then, salvation is the most essential part of the Christian life. Without it, Satan can eat us for breakfast!

The sword of the Spirit: The sword was the knight's main weapon in combat. The Word of God, the Bible, is the Christian's weapon against the Devil's attacks. Without the Sword, we are merely defensive.

We are in a war, my friends. Let's put on the whole armor of God so that we may be effective soldiers in Christ's army!

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