Staircase or Stumbling Block?

C.S. Lewis said, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most about the next.”

So what does it really mean to be heavenly minded? Does it mean that we’re out of touch and don’t care about other people? I think it’s the very opposite.

When you live for Christ, you will think of others. As the apostle Paul said, “To me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV). We might hear a statement like that and think, “You have your head in the clouds. You’re out of touch with reality.”

But when you’re really living for Christ, it’s a practical spirituality. Historically, for example, Christians have been the ones who led the way in every area of life. They’ve opened some of our greatest hospitals and universities because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Over the years, I’ve met a lot of really impressive people, including some very godly people. But the godliest people I’ve ever met were Billy and Ruth Graham. They were impressive publicly, of course. But what was so amazing to me is that privately, they were so down to earth. They were just real people.

I think that when you’re truly godly, you will be an accessible person, not a self-righteous person. Some people try to make everything so spiritual that they won’t even laugh at or enjoy anything. I would describe them as Bobby Buzzkill and Debbie Downer.

Don’t be that person. A godly person, someone who is living for Christ, is caring and loving. They possess a practical spirituality.

What kind of representative are you as a follower of Jesus? Are you a staircase or a stumbling block? Are you a bridge or a barrier to people coming to Christ?