Authentic Christianity

<p>I applied for a position in a Christian organization years ago and was presented with a list of legalistic rules having to do with the use of alcohol, tobacco, and certain forms of entertainment. &ldquo;We expect Christian behavior from our employees&rdquo; was the explanation. I could agree with this list because I, for reasons mostly unrelated to my faith, didn't do those things. But my argumentative side thought, <em>Why don&rsquo;t they have a list about not being arrogant, insensitive, harsh, spiritually indifferent, and critical?&nbsp;None of these were addressed.</em></p> <p>Following Jesus can&rsquo;t be defined by a list of rules. It&rsquo;s a subtle quality of life that&rsquo;s difficult to quantify but can best be described as &ldquo;beautiful.&rdquo;</p> <p>The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3&ndash;10 sum up that beauty: Those who are indwelt by and dependent on the Spirit of Jesus are humble and self-effacing. They&rsquo;re deeply touched by the suffering of others. They&rsquo;re gentle and kind. They long for goodness in themselves and in others. They&rsquo;re merciful to those who struggle and fail. They&rsquo;re single-minded in their love for Jesus. They&rsquo;re peaceful and leave behind a legacy of peace. They&rsquo;re kind to those who misuse them, returning good for evil. And they&rsquo;re <em>blessed,</em> a word that means &ldquo;happy&rdquo; in the deepest sense.</p> <p>This kind of life attracts the attention of others and belongs to those who come to Jesus and ask Him for it.</p>