Keeping Christ in CHRISTian

I'm going to share a link with you that I hope you will read. It is something tangible that will express my point so much clearer than I could through my own words. Simply copy the link, paste it in your browser, and get ready to be challenged: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-l-windmeyer/dan-cathy-chick-fil-a_b_2564379.html

This article brought out a whole range of emotions. I was...
Moved by one man's character
Blown away by the fact that so many do not expect Christlike character to come out of Christians
And Challenged in my own life to ensure that I am a genuine reflection of the nature of Christ

Galatians 2:20 says it all. It has been my life verse since I knew anything about life verses. I have the Scripture reference tattooed on my body. It has been stored in my memory for about 17 years. The question I have always asked myself is whether or not it has been stored in my heart. How often have I lived in such a way that it was not "I" but "Christ in me"? Have I really shown myself to be "crucified with Christ"? Has the life "I lived in the flesh" been lived "by the faith of the Son of God"?

Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-A) has challenged me to look deeper. Not at my own shortcomings but at the height, length, depth, and width of the love of God that I can walk in. I'm not going to give away the article so you will have to go read it. Just get ready to be challenged at the core of your beliefs. Be ready to question how you have expressed the nature of Christ in your own life. The truth for me is this - there's more that I can experience, there's more that I can allow to be manifested in my life, and there's more areas of my life where I need to allow Him to be Lord.

What I am discovering about the nature of Christ through this whole process is nothing short of life changing. Since He is in me and I am in Him then His nature isn't second nature - it's first. The Bible clearly teaches us that "As He is so are we in this world." Everything that is in Christ right now is in me: All of His attributes, all of His glory, all of His character, all of His love, and all of His grace. Jesus has imparted His life and nature to me. The more I learn how to tap into His life the more I am able to express that nature.

I believe that the true nature of a follower of Christ is...
Love not hate
Compassion not complacency
Responsibility not indifference
Mercy not judgement
This is true in us because it is true in the nature of Christ. If we are hidden in Him (and we are) then His nature will be found in us.

It needs to be our joy in life to represent and express the nature of Christ to everyone we come in contact with and every situation where we may find ourselves. This is part of the journey. Let's do what we can do to keep Christ in CHRISTian.