THE SWAMP: Do you have the courage to fulfill your divine purpose?

By Von Dailey

Author of "My Experiences with The Trinity" VonDailey.Com

We live in a place that huge majority of the population claims not to be Christian. We are surrounded by people of all walks of life. Some are considered good people, others are what we would consider bad people. However, many of them think Christians are selfish, self centered, judgmental and unwilling to develop true friendships with them. They think we think we are better than they are and they are actually afraid to walk through doors of a church because of past experiences they’ve had or fear of being rejected.

Why do you suppose that is? I’ll tell you, because as an institution, that is how we are. As an institution we tell them they are going to Hell, we tell our children that they cannot be friends with their children, we avoid the public school system because it’s evil. We send a lot of messages telling them they are not good enough to associate with us. Right or wrong, their perception of us is that we are high and mighty, think too much of ourselves, judge them for not being Christian and they think we are hypocrites. And people who are not Christians don’t want to feel like a project, they don’t want to be told they are going to Hell, they don’t want to be made to feel inferior, they don’t want to hear one thing and see another thing. But on many occasions, that’s exactly what happens.

It’s time that we as Christians embrace humbleness, we need to step off the pedestal and into the real world. That doesn’t make us worldly, it means we need to learn to associate with worldly people. We need to learn to embrace all people just as Jesus embraced them.

I’ll relate it to going into the swamp of life outside Christianity. Many of us have been protected most of our lives, we are comfortable where we live, work and play. It’s easy to turn a blind eye to those people wallowing in the swamp because we can justify it a thousand ways. However, that is not what we are called to do. We need to get comfortable wading through the swamp and we need to establish relationships with “swamp” people. In essence, we need to become part of the swamp, we need to embrace the swamp, we need to know how the swamp works and we need to be one with the swamp in a way that people learn who we are in Christ. Let them see through our words and actions that their preconceived notions about Christians are wrong. We need to let them see, by our words and actions, the power and freedom that knowing and accepting Jesus has to offer. They need to see the compassion of a God who wants their soul and wants to see them come home, they need to see the light of truth, love and victory. They need to know there is hope and we can show that to them. But we must go into the swamp to do so. That is what we are called to do. We are called to spread the gospel to the whole world. And we each have our own gifts on how to do that, but we must not be afraid to enter the swamp and put our gifts to work.

Are you willing to get your hands dirty to accomplish all tasks at hand? Are you willing to go into and live in the swamp and to build relationships in the swamp?

How far would you go to rescue or at least feed a lost soul? How far would you want someone else to go to rescue you or one of your loved ones? We know how far Jesus went to rescue each of us. Are you up to the task? That’s a real question, that deserves a real answer. Because following Jesus is not for the faint of heart. It’s a life of service, sacrifice, persecution and constant attacks that require diligence, a relationship with God the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. It takes courage and a willingness to love where love is not deserved. Becoming a Christian is more than getting your ticket punched at Heaven’s gate. It’s a life of service and self sacrifice to help bring life to places where death reigns.