Tuesday; January 25
One of the things that has interested me throughout my lifetime is how hard we have tried to make Christianity cool. It seems like we believe that if the principles of godliness could be presented in a relevant way by trendy people that we will have success in changing the attitude of the world. While this sounds compelling, I am not sure that’s the answer. One of the most successful preachers of all time was also one that out of step with his community. When Matthew described John the Baptist he observed, “Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:4). This guy was definitely not one of the cool kids! He looked odd and acted strange – but man could he preach. Matthew went on to say, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.” (Matthew 3:5-6). The truth about John was that people were not drawn to his fashion, but they were inspired by his faith!
What would happen if we focused more on being Christian than being cool? I am not saying that we should go out of our way to be viewed as odd, but I do believe that when we invest more energy in having the answers to life’s challenges, how we look isn’t as important. It’s a reminder that substance is more important than style! When we act right and preach righteousness, everything else will take care of itself!
Think About It!