I am a Rebel

   At this point you are probably wondering if I was raised right but, if you stay with me, you will see that you too are a rebel. From the beginning of humankind we have all be rebels in one way or another. Adam and Eve were the first rebels. They rebelled against God. They chose to disobey him. And, guess what? You choose to rebel against God too.

   Every time you sin, hurt someone else, or chose to do something you know is wrong you rebel against God. It is in our nature to rebel. BUT (I just love saying that word don’t you? It just screams hope). Anyhow, we were given the option to choose. We can follow our own desires and rebel against God, or we can choose to follow him. I do not know about you, but I have chosen to follow Jesus. Which means I am no longer a rebel right? Wrong!

   I am still a rebel in more ways than one. I still sometimes chose to rebel against God but now I have a mediator who intercedes on my behalf. Jesus is my lawyer and he makes sure I am never guilty in the eyes of God because he paid the price for my sins. If I’m not a rebel in that way then how am I a rebel?

   I am still a rebel because now I rebel against the ways of the world. John 15:18 says that the world hates Christ and those who follow him. Why does the world hate us? It is because we stand for everything they hate. We stand for freedom from sin. We stand for morality. We stand for God. The world hates God and morality. They hate being told they are wrong. They hate Christians because we are “holier than thou.”

   When we become Christians we become a different kind of rebel. We repent and turn back to God. We no longer try to cheat, steal, lie, etc. We may slip up but we are forgiven. And, that is what the world does not understand. When we become Christians we try not to sin anymore but we mess up. That is why the world hates us. They cannot understand why we are different. They cannot understand why we choose to try not to sin. They cannot understand the forgiveness and happiness we have through Christ.

   So, what can we do to get those who rebel against God to turn back to him? Honestly, we cannot do much. We need to leave most of it up to the Holy Spirit. But, we can show the world how we are a different kind of rebel. We can show them that we chose not to do certain things because we are following a new commander. That’s how others will choose to join the right rebellion.
   John 15:18-27, Psalm 68:6, John 14:26