The host of a radio program told about a man who described his
religious views by saying, "I'm a Christian on Christmas and Easter."
He seemed to think Christianity was a parttime proposition.
Even if we don't deliberately relegate our faith to just
2 days each year, many of us engage in a form of parttime
Christianity. We do that when we pick the time and place
to practice our faith instead of being consistent every
moment of every day.
When we choose to sin or neglect our relationship with
Christ or let the world squeeze us into its mold, we become
parttime Christians. Jesus told us to take up our cross
daily and follow Him(Luke 9:23). He didn't
suffer an unbearably cruel death on the cross so that we
could pick and choose when we want to follow Him.
Why do we sometimes turn our back on our Savior and in effect
tell Him to step out while we take over? Usually it's because
we disobey a clear biblical teaching. For example, if we neglect
to "pray without ceasing" (I Th. 5:17), we become
self-sufficient. If we stop doing everything "heartily, as
to the Lord" (Col.3:23), we start living for ourselves.
Following Jesus is a fulltime commitment. Don't fall into the
trap of thinking you can become a parttime Christian. --J.D.B
