“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” [Matthew 7:21 (NLT)]
Since her church attendance is limited to Christmas and Easter, with an occasional funeral or wedding thrown in, a neighbor describes herself as being a “Birth and Resurrectionist.” People like her are often categorized as “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christians. Granted, church attendance is not the litmus test for Christianity. Nevertheless, lack of church attendance indicates a lack of commitment and a token or non-practicing faith. While such people identify as “Christians,” their Christianity is a more a matter of culture, habit, or tradition than one of faith, creed, and rebirth.
Celebrated evangelist Billy Sunday said, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile,” and we’ll find “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christians in the pews as well as the beach or golf course Sunday mornings! Some things, however, can’t be done partially—and following Christ is one of them. An all-or-nothing proposition, following Jesus means a transformed life. When those “nominal” or “non-practicing Christians” arrive at the Pearly Gates, they shouldn’t be surprised when Jesus doesn’t recognize them! Nevertheless, setting aside the promise of salvation and where we’ll spend eternity, what would our lives be like right now if we only were token or cultural Christians?
While we’d still have a code of ethics, knowing what’s right doesn’t mean we’ll do the right thing. A relationship with Jesus means we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through our moral choices and get us back on track when we stray. Without the Holy Spirit, would we be able to love? Probably, but not with the unconditional love (agape) about which Jesus spoke—the power to do that comes from Him. Worse, we’d have anger, resentment, and bitterness because, without the Spirit’s power, we’d struggle to forgive those who’ve hurt us. Moreover, if Jesus weren’t in our lives, we’d miss the blessing of God’s forgiveness and be burdened with guilt, regrets, and shame.
If we had no relationship with Jesus, we’d miss that wonderful sense of peace that comes with Him. We’d always be searching for the next best thing without ever realizing that we have the best thing right beside us. Without Jesus, our sense of worth would depend on superficial and transient things like social status, wealth, education, and looks. With Jesus in our hearts, we know without a doubt that we are loved unconditionally. Moreover, without Jesus in charge, we’d lose our sense of hope and trust. We’d fight our troubles instead of accepting them with the knowledge that He will carry us through them.
Finally, a “nominal” or “non-practicing” Christian misses out on the blessings of Christ’s church. The church isn’t a building; it’s a family of faith. It’s friends, support, instruction, accountability, inspiration, opportunities, guidance, encouragement, prayer, and joy! While salvation is the final reward for our faith in Christ, our daily lives are continually blessed for that faith.
El Roi is one of the Hebrew names for God. We find it in Genesis 16 when Hagar encountered God in the desert and addressed Him as El Roi, meaning “the God who sees me.” After God told Hagar she was pregnant, He said to name her soon to be born son Ishmael. A combination of the Hebrew el and shama, the boy’s name means “God hears” or “God listens.” God both heard and saw Hagar because He’s omnipresent and omniscient; He can be everywhere and know everything at all times. There’s no place we can hide where we’re unknown, unseen, or unheard by Him.
When my eldest grand took advanced calculus, I could neither understand what she was doing nor the purpose in doing it (other than gaining entrance into a good university). The following year, she took something called discrete math. Since I was thinking “discreet,” I couldn’t understand how numbers could be cautious or prudent. Even when she explained “discrete” means “individually separate and distinct” and discrete math is the basis for much of computer science, statistics, and programming, I remained in the dark. Fortunately, I wasn’t the one taking SATs and making application to colleges, so I didn’t need to make sense of her difficult curriculum.
“The Lord is my portion,” wrote the prophet Jeremiah. Throughout the Bible, a wide variety of metaphors are used to describe God— rock, refuge, shield, shepherd, fortress, potter, and light—but portion is one of my favorites. Portion refers to one’s share—be it of plunder, an inheritance, or food. Not being a soldier, I can’t relate to the spoils of war and I’ve seen way too many inheritances argued over or squandered to associate those meanings with God. Food, however, is something to which we all can relate.
Thinking we’d never be old enough to retire in Florida, we used to spend our winters in a Colorado mountain town and our days skiing on the slopes. The lift line crew at one lift often posted riddles or trivia questions on a board at the bottom of the hill. As we pondered the answer while riding up, we’d see the answer at the top as we skied off the lift. One day the question was, ”What is greater than God? The poor have it, the rich need it and, if you eat it, you will die!”
Devotions of the Heart 