An "Almost Christian"

I just read a sermon by John Wesley that tells about the difference between an "almost Christian" and an "altogether Christian." You can read it too, here, or you can just read my summary. Well, really you don't have to do either, but it might be interesting so what do you have to lose?
According to Wesley, almost Christians have some things in common. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
1. They have moral standards that fit with the culture
2. They have the outside appearance of being a godly person; for example, they go to church, tithe, help the poor, volunteer at church, don't drink, smoke, cuss, gamble, or have sex outside marriage. In other words, they do all of those things that people associate with being a "good Christian."
3. They are sincere. They actually think that they are good Christians because they do all of the things that they are supposed to, that the Bible tells us to do.

Now, this person appears on the outside to be a good Christian. What is the difference between him and someone that Wesley would call an altogether Christian? Well, it's not something that you or I can see from the outside. It's an inner quality that is totally between the person and God.
An altogether Christian:
1. Loves God
2. Loves people
3. Has faith that God loves us and forgives us of our sins

This may seem like a small difference on the outside, but in a person's heart this means everything. These three things are what separates an "almost Christian" from an "altogether Christian." Do you know which one you are? In your heart of hearts, do you have this love and faith inside you, guiding your every move? If you don't, then you are not really who you claim to be. I wonder how many almost Christians we see in our churches every day? Only God knows.

Gratitude is the Sign of a Changed Heart

   "Gratitude is the sign of a changed heart." That was the thought for the day on today's Upper Room devotional. We talk about being grateful fairly often in the church - not just at Thanksgiving. We talk about being thankful in the face of adversity and when things are going right, when we are lonely and when we are happier than we have ever been. But most of the time, when we talk about gratitude, it is in spite of our circumstances. We try to get around our troubles by counting our blessings and thanking God for them. But do we ever think that maybe we should be thanking God for our troubles and pains?
   This summer I had the joy and privilege of working for Urban Ministry in Birmingham. I took youth groups around the West End and painted houses for people who were in need. I met so many people there who had less material possessions than I but way more faith. They praised God in all that they did. Ms. Vera was one lady in particular who inspired me. She wasn't even one of our homeowners who we were helping. She called out to us from her house down the street, so I walked down with one of the youth chaperones to talk to her. She lived alone in a house that had been her grandparents'. She told us that her calling in life was to take care of other people. She had nursed everyone in her family who was failing in health. She took care of her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles until they "passed on." Now that most of her family was gone - she had no children - Ms. Vera was left alone with no one to care for her in her later days. She started telling us about her health problems, one at a time, going (unnecessarily, I thought) into a lot of detail about her conditions. I was prepared to sympathize and tell her that God was with her, but before I could say a word, I realized that this wouldn't be necessary. Every time Ms. Vera told us about another health problem she was going through, she said "thank you Jesus, I'm so blessed." In the same breath as her statement of pain, she showed gratitude and praised the Lord. How many of us can say that about ourselves?
Life is not always fun. But God is always good. And thanking God should not be an afterthought; instead, it should be something that we do with every thought and action, in good times and in bad.
Thanks, God, for being. Amen.