What If?

 

 

What if Christian culture started acting differently than regular culture?

 

What if the way we evaluated people was based only on love?

 

What if the care we gave others wasn’t based on everything they’ve done for us?

 

What if unconditional love actually didn’t have conditions?

 

What if when people were asked to define selfless, they pointed at us?

 

What if compassion isn’t just the organization we send shoe boxes to, but something we practice with everyone we come into contact with?

 

What if young men rise up and start becoming honest, considerate, and full of integrity?

 

What if young women measure beauty in kindness and good deeds?

 

What if young men stopped viewing girls as a number 1-10 or a conquest but instead as a sister to love, respect, and protect?

 

What if young women realized that the standard the world has given them to be beautiful is a photo shopped, fake, and cheap knock-off of the beauty they already have?

 

What if men stopped looking to pornography as the standard of what a woman is, but instead saw a woman through the eyes of God?

 

What if women stopped trying to get that certain guy to like them but instead buried themselves so deep in the heart of God that no guy can come near their heart without first knowing Him?

 

What if modesty was no longer something older people insist we practice but instead something we joyfully practice with pride?

 

What if we worried about having control of our own hearts before trying to intertwine them with someone else’s?

 

What if dating was no longer “let’s hang out,” but “how can I serve you with my life?”

 

What if dating was not about “does this person make me happy?” but instead equaled family – Forget About Me, I Love You.

 

What if we got rid of all flirty sexual tension across genders, and were content with sanctified friendship?

 

What if we all valued marriage as much as God does and refused to be a part of the 50% of marriages that crumble and turn to divorce?

 

What if “fellowship” no longer means eating food together but instead becomes a life style?

 

What if we stopped trying to act holy because we’re in a building with the word “church” written on it, but instead tried to act holy because we actually believe what the purpose of that building is and reflect that in all of our actions?

 

What if church is a way of life and not a Sunday hobby?

 

What if worship is not the Chris Tomlin song we sing 30 times on a Sunday but instead defines every single moment we are alive?

 

What if the word “unity” doesn’t mean going to Revolution once a year?

 

What if we sought out God’s truth for ourselves and didn’t solely rely on our pastor or youth leader to spoon feed us everything?

 

What if giving to the church isn’t just throwing money into a plate but is a lens with which we view all of our posessions?

 

What if hypocrite isn’t the word ex-church goers use to describe why they left, but instead is something we all acknowledge we are and move past?

 

What if instead of giving up on the friend that won’t go to church, we bring the church to them?

 

What if the Bible isn’t in our “break in case of emergency” glass case, but is our daily bread?

 

What if we stopped worshipping tolerance but instead stood for the truth?

 

What if our goal wasn’t to make people believe but instead to show them and tell them exactly who Jesus is?

 

What if our individual future is determined by how we can advance God’s kingdom, not how we can advance ourselves?

 

What if in a society that preaches “always be yourself,” we stopped idolizing people that get paid millions to pretend to be someone else.

 

What if we used social media to encourage, challenge, and love our friends instead of using it to share selfies with lame, cliché quotes as the description?

 

What if homosexuality stopped being a taboo, “let’s not talk about it” staple, and became an issue that we stand firm on and an opportunity to engage and love our culture?

 

What if every day we remembered and prayed for our brothers and sisters across the world who are literally, right now being imprisoned, beheaded, burned alive, crucified, shot, and stoned to death for believing in the same God we do?

 

What if foreign missions stopped being thought of as a job for “super Christians” but became something we all supported with our gifts?

 

What if we stopped spreading the lie that people are inherently good beings and listened to the Bible when it says the only thing that can fix our brokenness is Jesus?

 

What if instead of standing around and bashing our leaders, we prayed for them?

 

What if instead of “I hate that kid,” or “they make me so angry” we loved our enemies and prayed for those who persecute us?

 

What if instead of trying to get more status and power, we actually listened when Jesus said “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant?”

 

What if instead of making it “Jesus vs. Religion” we practiced true religion of caring for widows and orphans?

 

What if everyone was quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry?

 

What if instead of the pursuit of happiness, we made it our goal to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God?

 

What if all we thought about was true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy?

 

What if when we brag it’s not about what we’ve done or who we are but we “let whoever boasts boast in the Lord?”

 

What if all of us are patient, kind, not envying, not bragging, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, and we keep no record of wrongs?

 

What if we don’t delight in evil, but we rejoice in the truth?

 

What if we always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere?

 

What if we stopped attempting to get people to say, ” I love how they look,” but instead prompted them to say, “Look how they love.”?

 

What if none of this is possible without the saving love of Christ?