What makes Christians different

I haven't blogged in a while because as you know, this is where I store my thoughts. When I have good thoughts, this is where they go and when I don't, nothing gets written. So lately I've been working and been busy a lot, but I have been thinking...

Something my 2 good buddies and myself have talked about on multiple occasions is Christians. One of my good buddies is a professional plumber who owns his own business. In his many years of business he has made the philosophy to never do business with a business owner who openly advertises to running a Christian business. We've queried him multiple times and forced him to divulge exactly why and how he got burned by Christian business owners and after much thinking he boiled it down to he never knew whether or not he could trust them. Sometimes they were good to do business with and other times they weren't. Sounds normal enough, eh? Everyone tends to be like that. But something in particular got to my buddy. He said it basically boiled to down to if the going got rough, they were most likely to bail and leave him in a jam. He also said with most business' you know if they're dirty or if they're good. They usually fall into one of those 2 categories, but with Christian business' you never quite knew and that left you open for getting burned.

So we discussed this. Why is it this way? After discussing this long and hard, we basically came to the conclusion that Christians are all too good at rationalizing away their bad behavior. Really, we want to do the right thing, but when the going gets tough or when we're really tempted we fall prey to the easy way out and do what's wrong. One might chalk it up to one's integrity, but tonight I've been thinking about it and I think there's more to it.

It all comes down to the one thing that makes Christianity different from all other religions in the world. The very thing that makes Christianity special. Without this one thing Christianity would be like ALL other religions. Its the reason Christianity is the one and only true way to God. Many will tell you there are many paths to God, that its extremely arrogant and rude of Christians to claim they know the one true way to God. That we have no right for proclaiming such audacities. Well I'm here to tell you the one thing that makes you hate Christians and their behavior is the one thing that makes Christianity so very special. Its about a relationship. Its knowing and talking with your God and Creator. Its about knowing Him intimately and personally. Its about laying your life down each and every day before God and saying, "Not my will, but yours." Its about spending time in prayer.

The fact that I don't do this every day is the very reason I give Christians the bad label of "Hypocrite". I tear up as I write this because its true.

Its not about rules and regulations. Its not about politics and Democrats or Republicans. No, its about a relationship with Christ. Whether this relationship flourishes or flounders is the exact reason you either meet a holy man or a hypocrite. Its just that simple.

That my friend, is what makes Christians and Christianity different.

Tim.