Zeal
There is a man/woman (can’t tell) who stands on the corner of Richmond and Turner, every day. I’ve seen them there in the rain, hot sun, cold and windy days - every day.
He/she appears to be Muslim, follower of Muhammad - whatever you want to call them. When I first saw them doing this (praying loudly, on their knees and bowing toward Mecca, ’saluting’ drivers) I was kind of offended and disgusted. I felt they where being rude somehow - standing there acting all righteous and blah blah blah.
The other day I was driving by, and there they where. Standing proudly, arms outstretched in praise of Allah and a thought hit me. Why aren’t Christians as zealous for the Lord God? It was both a sobering and sad thought as a drove by and gave a little nod a admiration to this person.
We look at the Bible heroes and you have to admit - they didn’t sit quietly, content on watching the world go by. They danced, prayed, happily discussed, evangelized and made it known who they were. Even when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegogo where threatened with burning in a furnace for not singing the bunny song for not bowing to the pagan idol they stood strong and didn’t give in. (Daniel 3)
So why are we so afraid of being scorned, humilated and looked down on for believing in God and walking strong in His ways? When people start telling off color jokes or being crude, do we stand and laugh or do we walk away, not condoning the sport? I’m not saying we need to be preaching from the corners, but living a life “blameless and holy” (1 Thessalonians 3:13).
I pray I can be one that people recognize the mark of Christ on my life - and not another person to lend a hand to the “Christian’s are hypocrites” mentality.
