Jump Start # 3655
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
My sweet beloved wife is a nurse. She’s been a nurse for decades. It’s helpful having an in-house nurse. She’s not the only one. My daughter is a nurse. One of my daughter-in-laws is a nurse. One of my sons is a nurse practitioner. The family joke is that when we go out to eat, we need two tables. One for me and the other for the medical convention.
One thing about my wife is that she thinks like a nurse, all the time. She’ll remind me when I come in from pulling weeds, to wash my hands. She’ll say to me, “you’re not going to eat that are you?” Usually, the answer is, I was. When the grandkids are over, a sneeze leads to washing their hands. When one of them falls, I’ll tell them to be tough and walk it off. They run to the nurse and she’s taking them inside to get it cleaned up. The nurse is always nursing. I expect had it not been for her, I’d probably died a long time ago.
And, it’s that thought that runs through our passage today. Paul no longer lived. Christ was living in him. And, with that, one is always a Christian. The Christian is always a Christian. There is no flipping of the switch when one walks into the church building on Sunday. The same person, shows Christ at work. The same person, shows Christ at school. Selling something, that person will be honest and truthful to all questions asked. And, the reason is, the Christian is always a Christian.
From this we ought to see:
First, this concept becomes a part of who we are. It’s in our DNA. One doesn’t have to be reminded to be thankful or to pause and say a prayer before he eats. It’s natural. It’s the way he is. The nurse is always a nurse and the Christian is always a Christian.
One shouldn’t have to remind himself that he is a Christian. That needs to become automatic. It’s who we are. And, when it’s not, it’s awkward, inconsistent and not very productive. The Christian is always a Christian.
Second, the core principles of who we are, such as kind, helpful, thankful, decent, honest becomes part of our character. God said of Job that he was blameless, upright and fearing God. That’s who he was. That’s Job. From that, we know that Job was honest in business. How do we know that? He was blameless. He was upright.
When those things become who we are, people will recognize and take note of that. He’s honest, someone will say. He’ll treat you right, they’ll say. And the reason is very simple. The Christian is always a Christian.
Third, through the years, our family, our friends and even the church family has relied upon my wife for answers to their questions. Sometimes our kids will call late in the night because of their little ones’ is sick. The parent wants both mom and the nurse. Once, when she was out, someone from the church called wanting some medical advice. I told the person that she’ll call when she gets home. The person, being insistent, said, “What do you think she’d tell me?” I thought, you’re asking me? I said, she’d probably have you call your doctor. What do I know.
When the Christian is always a Christian, you’ll find family and friends reaching out to you. They’ll turn to you with a question. They know that you’ll be kind and Biblical with your answer. When storms and tragedies strike, they’ll want to hear from you. Your thoughts matter. Your kindness comforts. They know you know the Scriptures.
The nurse is always a nurse. Now this isn’t the case with all. My wife is amazed to see medical people doing so many unhealthy things when they are not working. It’s like they have left what they know at the office. And, the same is sadly true of some Christians. Away from the church building, some will do some very unchristian activities. It’s as if they left their faith in the coat rack at the church building.
The nurse is always a nurse and the Christian is always a Christian. All the time. Everywhere. One never turns it off…never. It is who we are.
Roger