What do others see in you?

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. - Luke 6:43-44 (NIV)

Have you ever been around a Christian that is always grumbling and complaining? I have been that person before. Not only is it a sin, but it drags down every person around them. Aside from that, it shows a total lack of trust in God and doesn't show others what God has done for us. Like the Bible says in Luke 6:45,

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

I always try to show others that have this problem what they are doing with this negative attitude. I try to motivate them to pray over their situations and surrender them totally to God; a lesson that I had to learn.

In all honesty, we are only human and are going to make mistakes. We are going to have those times when our actions will speak much louder than our words; times when we pridefully want to be seen in a certain light but when other people's view of us are corrupted by something we have said or done. There will be those times when we want others to see the difference that God has made in our lives, but when we are acting just like everyone else.

The greatest witness you will ever be to someone is by exibiting Christ in your life ... to wear Him on your sleeve, so to speak. Maintain your spiritual and moral integrity, and don't try to fit in with the crowd or with someone that is pressuring you to do something that you know is wrong. You will have a much more positive influence on others if you show that the joy of the Lord in your life is more important to you than anything that this world can offer.

Cursing, smoking, drinking, being promiscuous, listening to music that isn't uplifting, and even gossiping are all things that say to the world, "God didn't really change me." Remember, "No good tree bears bad fruit". As Christians, we have something to share and it is our responsibility to show it. If Christ can change our lives and put us on a road to Heaven, He can do the same for anyone in this lost and dying world.