“Christian” Guys vs. “Godly” Guys?

There are a lot of people out there that would see those two comparisons above and automatically say, “There’s no difference between them! They’re basically the same thing.”

Well…I’m here to tell you that there is a difference, a huge difference, in fact. Now right off the bat, this may seem like one of those posts aimed just for women, but men, bear with me here. If you hang around for a bit, who knows? You might get something out of this, too.

Like I already said, the words “Christian” and “godly” are not synonyms. How do I know? Well, I may only be an almost sixteen year old girl (okay, you’ve probably stopped reading now), but I’ve figured out some “signs” to share with you (if you are still reading) so you can determine the difference, as well.

Here’s what I’m going to do: First, I’m going to give you some signs of a “Christian” guy, but in reality, you might be able to apply these to girls, also. Okay, here goes nothing…

1. You only know he’s a Christian because of a reason similar to the following: It says “Jesus 1st” or a certain Bible verse in his Twitter or Instagram bio or you’ve noticed he’s liked the page on Facebook that says “ ‘Like’ if You Love Jesus”.          Yeah, that seems legit! He must be very strong in his faith in God and have a close intimate relationship with Him since that’s the only way you know he’s a Christian! It’s not like you would be able to tell through his actions or anything like that…right? Haha… *laughs nervously.*

2. You’re about 99.9% sure he’s a “man of God” because you met him at church and EVERYONE that goes to church is a Christian. That makes total sense! Why would anyone come to church if they weren’t saved by God?! He is definitely pursuing God with all his heart! *winks*

3. You know he’s a Christian because he went/goes to a Christian school or was/is homeschooled. Doesn’t everyone know that if you have attended a Christian school or you’ve been homeschooled you undoubtedly are relentlessly pursuing Jesus? It is perfectly fine to assume he’s a born again “Jesus Freak” because…it just is. No one would ever be a part of something like that otherwise. Duh.

4. You know he’s saved because his parents are. Maybe his parents were missionaries to a third world country or leaders at church. Anyway, you know that they’re saved so he must be, too. It’s just the logical thing, you know?

…And that, ladies, is just a few of many signs that you like a “Christian” guy (by the way, sarcasm was used in the making of that list.)

Now, if you’re wondering “Okay, kid, but where does the ‘godly guy’ thing come in?” then you, my friend, are in luck (don’t worry, I’m not going to do another list) *distant sounds of people dramatically sighing of relief.*

With a godly guy, things will be much different. Alright, so you may have met him at church or it may say “Jesus 1st” in his bio on a social networking site, but that is not at all going to be the main way you know he is walking closely with Jesus. You’ll know by his actions. He will treat you with total respect and will never try to pressure you to go the next step physically. He will show every single person he comes in contact with respect, kindness, and most importantly…the love of Jesus. He will be a hearer and doer of the Word and he will want God’s will to be done in his own life and yours, too. And I’m going to be perfectly honest with you…he’s going to love God more than you.

And that’s the kind of guy worth waiting for.

 

*Whispers* “Did you hear about…”

I tend to gossip.

BAM. I said it. Now before everyone jumps on me accusing me of being “unholy” and such, let me talk about it a bit.

Gossip is a problem in our culture today, as I’m sure you all know. The sad part is, we as Christians, a lot of times, go along with it. We all have done it (and I hate to inform you that if you say you have not, then “you sit on a throne of lies”.)

I have been thinking about this lately. We, as Christians, more than anybody else, have a duty (ahem…wrong choice of wording)…a responsibility…to speak words of life about each other. Not ones that will bring people down.
As I said in my opening sentence, I do tend to gossip sometimes. I’m human. I’m a teenager. I’m a girl. Unfortunately, that makes gossiping come pretty naturally to me. Right now, that’s a big thing in my life that I’ve been working on to stop doing. I’m getting a lot better, too! Do you have a habit of gossiping? If you do, here’s a little list of things you may do that can help:

1. Pray about it. Okay, I know for this one you’re probably going “Well, thanks a lot, Captain Obvious. That’s a great help!” but just hang with me here. Even though, it may seem pretty obvious, it also can be one of the easiest things to miss. I’ve really found that praying about my bad habit has really helped me and I’m sure it would help you, too.

2. Put yourself in that person’s shoes. As cliché as it may sound (especially for a Christian girl like myself), remember to treat others the way you would want to be treated. Now, I’m sure most of us don’t want somebody we know to randomly start passing along some crazy stuff to everyone about us (and if you do, then it’s safe to say that I’m a little worried about you.) So think about that when you start to talk.

3. Ask yourself this question: “Is it true?” First off, do you know for a fact the information you’re passing along is true? Just because somebody tells you “Mike told Annie, Annie told Suzie, Suzie told Bob, and Bob told me”, that does not confirm that your info is legit. In fact, it probably means it isn’t. Words tend to get twisted when going through several people (if you’ve ever played the game Telephone, you know very well what I mean.)

4. Ask yourself this question, too: “Is it nice?” Even if you know without a doubt that what you’re saying is true, is it nice? It’s a simple question with a simple answer. If it’s nice (something that would lift that person up, not tear them down, something that would not make them burst into tears the next time they see you, etc.), then you’re probably good. If it’s not nice (something that would make that person look bad, putting that person down, saying things about that person that you don’t know are true, etc.), then you might want to hold your tongue.

5. Stop talking. When you notice that you are talking smack about someone when you’re with other people, stop. Just stop. I know that may sound weird, but really, it’s okay to just stop talking. It’s okay to even walk away, if you have to. If those people make fun of you or laugh, then honestly, they probably aren’t the kind of people you want to hang out with anyway. Your true friends will respect you even more for keeping quiet.

Do you have any other tips that have helped you?