The Jesus We Claim to Follow

Jesus taught humility, compassion, and love.

He welcomed the outcast, fed the hungry, healed the sick, and told us to care for "the least of these."

He Himself lived as a refugee child in Egypt.

When I look at the way faith is often practiced today, I cannot help but notice the disconnect.

I see Christians celebrating policies that seem to value power over compassion. I see the poor mocked instead of helped, immigrants treated as problems instead of people, and those in need viewed as burdens rather than neighbors.

Whether someone agrees with every policy or not is not really my point.

My question is this:

Do our actions reflect the heart of Christ?

Jesus warned us about false prophets who come "in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." He reminded us that we cannot serve both God and money. Again and again, He pointed people away from power and toward love, mercy, humility, and sacrifice.

That is why I struggle when faith becomes inseparable from politics.

When our loyalty to a political movement becomes greater than our loyalty to the teachings of Jesus, we have crossed into dangerous territory.

To me, that is no longer Christianity.

It is the elevation of politics above faith.

It is why I have chosen to pursue a direct relationship with God instead of placing my faith in institutions or personalities.

Movements rise and fall.

Political leaders come and go.

Christ's teachings remain.

Know the difference between following Jesus and following a movement.

The two are not always the same.

A Moment to Reflect

Faith has always required us to examine our own hearts before judging the hearts of others. It is easy to defend our beliefs, our traditions, or our politics. It is much harder to honestly ask whether our actions reflect the compassion, humility, and love that Jesus modeled.

If someone judged your faith only by the way you treat the vulnerable, would they recognize the heart of Christ?