Truly Countercultural

Truly Countercultural - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. -Ephesians 5:8 If you're a true Christian, then you're truly countercultural. Today the cultural norm is upside down. The things that we once saw as virtues are now vices. The things we once celebrated arenow mocked. And the things that we once said were bad are now declared good. Everything is upside down. It takes courage and commitment to be a follower of Jesus. Wimps need not apply. So, if you want to march in lockstep with the culture, parrot what everyone tells you to say, and think whateveryone tells you to think, then go for it. Any dead fish can float downstream. But it takes a live one to swim upstream, you see. When you believe in Jesus, believe in the Bible, and stand up for that, you're a rebel today. Jesus Christ is worth living for. And if necessary, He's worth dying for. On the other hand, if you believe something isn't worth dying for, then is it really worth living for? Think of people throughout history who gave their lives for different causes. They gave their lives for false leaders and religious gurus. They followed crazy ideas that destroyed their lives. I want to be someone who really lives for Christ. And that's worth dying for, if necessary. I don't know if that will ever happen. But I know this much. The apostle Paul said, "For to me,to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). For Christians, death is not the end; we just move from one place to another. In fact, we move to a much better place. But we also have a life worth living on this earth-a life worth livingto its fullest. So, it's the best of both worlds. It's the best of this world, and then it's the afterlife in the presence of God.