Being Christian-ish

I’ve never watched the show, but I understand “Black-ish” has to do with children who are not fully one race or another and they have cultural issues about their identity.

The name of that show made me wonder if we may be “Christian-ish” -- not fully all in as Christians and so we have issues about our identity.  Some days we are ALL IN as devoted followers of Christ and other days we are weak, sad, defeated, wish-washy believers and cower to the enemy’s lies in our lives.

Christian-ish is wanting to believe God’s Word is true, but not entirely living what it says. Christian-ish isn’t a pure faith. Most importantly, being Christian-ish isn’t an option in God’s Word. We are either ALL IN or NOT IN at all.

Several years ago I was ALL IN with involvement in a network marketing company with my daughter. She had a vast number of people in her organization. I was one of her front-liners with many people in my organization. It became a tremendous financial blessing for me.

I became relentless in living and breathing everything about my business. I couldn’t just “talk the talk”. I had to “walk the walk” and put my plan to action. I set out to be the “Poster Mama” – showing others what can happen when we stop whining about being “too little or too big; too old or too young; too female or too male; too black or too white; too difficult or too easy”……and to JUST DO IT!! AND I did!

That relentless spirit set me on course to be an achiever. And that is what I desire to be as a devoted follower of Christ. I don’t want to be Christian-ish!

Jesus traveled through Samaria and stopped to get water at Jacob’s well. The Samaritans were considered “mixed-ish”.  Many were both Jew and Gentile, genetically and spiritually. So, the woman at the well was surprised when Jesus spoke to her. But Jesus wasn’t interested in the woman’s “genetics.” He was interested in her soul.

He led her to understand the truth about her identity with God that had nothing to do with cultural perceptions. He told her that He wanted to give her and her family the water that would “become a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

Jesus told the woman, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him” (John 4:23).

I think Jesus would tell our Christian-ish culture the exact same thing. God is looking for true worshippers who will worship in spirit and truth. Are we worshipping God or a version of God that seems more acceptable to people? Are we learning truth, or an "ish" version of the truth.  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Christian-ish seems like a more popular way to live our lives. An old saying about hair creme was "A little dab will do you!" That is NOT being ALL-IN. All in is daily choosing to be on God’s team -- talking the talk, walking the walk of God’s truths.  His Word is “the truth” that leads to “the life.”

Joshua said it best: “…..as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).  That isn't Christian-ism. It is us declaring, living, and breathing Christans – NOT Christian-ism!