Full-Time Christian

I recently became a full-time Christian.

Before you stop reading, please make sure to read on as it would not be good if people left reading this to believe the new Worship Pastor at Friendship Church only recently became a Christian.

That’s not what I’m saying.

In April, I joined Friendship Church full-time as Worship Pastor. So now when people ask me what I do for a living, I can say:

Me: I’m a Worship Pastor.

Them: A What? Pastor? You’re a minister? You preach?

Me: No, I’m a full-time Christian. (I feel like nobody knows what a Worship Pastor is…)

Them: Oh, got it… (they didn’t really get it, because my dad humor is brutal).

Me: Sorry, lame joke. I help my church with music.

Them: OH!

The point is, now that I’m working for the church, that makes me a full-time Christian, doesn’t it?

Not exactly.

Every single human deals with a big problem – that problem is sin. And if left unchecked; if left unrepented; if left to represent our character and who we are as a person; a stranger will be none the wiser of the relationship we claim to have with Jesus.

Being a Christian should be a full-time lifestyle for everyone who walks with Jesus.

Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” 1 John 1:9 says that, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Acts 3:9 says to “repent and our sins will be blotted out.”

While we can certainly aim for full-time status, none of us can ever be perfect. But that shouldn’t stop us from getting out of bed each morning with a plan to live that day for Christ!

The best example we have for Christian living is Jesus. Jesus Christ IS the full-time CHRISTian. Jesus is perfect. Thank you Jesus for your grace and mercy and for defeating death and sin so that we might know the Heavenly Father.

My challenge to us all is to take two minutes today when you’ve finished reading this and consider the following:

• Do I take up the cross daily and follow Jesus? What does that look like? What should it look like?
• Does my life look different on Sunday mornings than it does the rest of the week? How am I behaving at work or school and does that represent Christ? What behaviors do I need to cut out of my life?
• How can I be intentional with each day to live for Christ? What can I do to both draw closer to Him and represent Him in all I do?

My hope is that you will take a few moments to search within. Let God speak to you in that time. Make an effort to meet with Jesus this week. Whether it’s every day, a few times through the week, or even just one day this week. The surest way to loving, living and serving like Jesus full-time is through spending time in His Word.