Orange you a Christian?

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I love analogies. They can really help put things into perspective in a way that is relatable and understandable. One of my favorite analogies, that really left a lasting impact on my life, was one shared by Pastor Dan Mohler.

It goes something like this…(paraphrasing)

If you squeeze an orange into a cup, what do you get? The obvious answer is, “orange juice.” However, if you squeeze an orange into a cup, go to drink it, and it’s cranberry juice - that would be weird right?…because cranberry juice doesn’t come from an orange. It should be equally as weird, when you squeeze a Christian, if anything but Christ comes out.

Think about that for a minute. We’ve all been squeezed one way or another; cut off in traffic, stolen from, lied to or lied about, offended, hurt, the subject of gossip, stressed at work, stressed financially, health concerns, car troubles, home troubles, family troubles, and the list goes on. The question here is, when you get squeezed, does anything but Christ come out of you? After all, Christian = Christ-like-one. If it comes out of you, and is not Christ-like, then it’s something counter to your identity. It’s not representative of your character or who you are created to be; it’s more likely a response learned from the world.

“What does a Christ-like response look like,” you may ask?

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (I John‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Love is the answer. But what is love?

The answer is found is many verses of the Bible. One of my favorite is found in 1 Corinthians.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

The part that really hits for me is, “[Love] keeps no record of wrongs…”

But maybe your response isn’t always love. This analogy is not intended to condemn you or me. It’s intended to help generate reflection. An awareness as we continue to be transformed. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (II Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

As a Christian, our response to everything should always be love. Anything else should be weird. Consider this, every time you are “squeezed” reflect on what comes out of you. If it is love, praise God. If it is something else, praise God - don’t be condemned by it - see it as an opportunity for growth, include this in your prayers and talk about it with our Father. Ask Him to help you in this area of your life. Be transformed into His image from glory to glory. After all, it’s why we’re here.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

God bless you!