Phillipians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
When times get tough, the tough get going. That old saying rings very true. It’s funny how hard times tend to bring out our true colors. When you squeeze a lemon, you will either get a bitter glass of lemon juice or you can add a little sugar and enjoy a glass of lemonade. What about when you squeeze a person though? When someone is put under pressure, stress, or hard times and is squeezed, what comes out? The true heart of the person will generally show. You might see anger or bitterness, or you might actually see love and continued joy despite the circumstances.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. As Christians, we are by definition followers of Christ. We must be imitators of Christ. In Philippians 4:9, Paul is saying, “if you want to live like Christ, live like me. Do what I’ve taught you.” Paul continually lived His life with eternity in mind. He set a high bar for us all to follow. When I compare myself to Paul, I find that I fall so short. When I compare myself to Christ…well I can’t even compare. I wish I could be more like Paul and so confident that my conduct was so becoming of Christ that I were truly a reflection of Christ in all that I do. I mean really, we wear His name in our name as Christians.
So many people fall away from the church because someone professing to be “Christian” said or did something that was totally unchristlike, and it destroyed their faith. But we have to realize that we can’t place our faith in man. Man is totally imperfect, but a saving relationship in Christ makes us right.Today, think on this. We are getting squeezed pretty hard right now. Times are tough. Our true hearts are going to show. Are you looking like a bitter, sour lemon, or are you sweet and savory like a cool glass of lemonade?
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 