Hello, my name is … and I am a Christian. We throw the word Christian around like it is something that we can use to justify our actions or a badge we can hide behind so people do not see the real us. The word Christians used to mean something. It meant a follower of Christ. To be a follower of Christ meant to love and serve others. Now, being a Christian is something you put on your profile, a box you check, an hour spent sitting in a pew, a post on social media. Maybe we change that to True Believers. True Believers are Christians plus extra. What is extra? Extra means beyond or more than what is usual, expected, or necessary; better than what is usual. As Christians, we should not conform to the world, but be more than the world, go beyond what is necessary or expected and be the best version of ourselves. Jesus walked this earth as an example of how we should be. He loved beyond expectation. He forgave more than usual. He was better than what was usual. We should strive every day to be more like Jesus. We should strive to be extra. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:21-25
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