"I can't believe she just said that to me!" "She calls herself a Christian and acts like that?"
Yep, it's true; friends on the inside of the church can be just as irritating as those on the outside.
Sometimes, they make us want to run away from the whole Sunday thing!
But then I can't help think how much Christ loved His church, warts and all. He must have for crying out loud; He went and died for her. Check out Ephesians 5:25-27 for yourself. Jesus deeply cared for His followers and He knew it would be a lifelong process of learning how to trust and obey Him before they looked even close to His image.
Look at Paul, one of the greatest teachers in the New Testament church. He knew he had not reached perfection. So how much do you look like the God who died for you? I know I have a long way to go! But Jesus still adores me, even when I fall short of His great desires for me.
I guess I'll stick close to this crazy group that calls itself "Christians" and begin to forgive some of the same behavior I'm guilty of displaying. If it's good enough for Christ, than it's good enough for me.