Cliché is an overused phrase, expression, or idea that has lost its original impact, novelty, and meaning over time.

The world is built on generalities and cute little sayings that help us remember what it is we are supposed to do. Some of my favorites are, “Let’s give it 110%,” and, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” These sayings have been used so much that we have lost their meaning and impact.  I mean let’s face it.  I have trouble with 100%. I don’t know where you expect that extra 10%.

Unfortunately, Christians have created their own cliches.  Like, “Jesus loves you for everything,” or, “God bless you.” Or my niece’s favorite where she jokingly answers ‘Jesus’ to every question. I mean you can’t be wrong with that. Right?

However lately my personal favorite is, “I would do or be what Jesus would do or be” . . . a shorter version of, “What would Jesus do?” I’m not saying any of these are bad or incorrect. The problem is that we have used them so much that we have lost the meaning or any practical application in our life.

I can think of several instances where over the last year I have thought, “How would Jesus handle this situation?”  I will be honest. Sometimes, I have actually thought about how parts of Jesus’ life could inform what I am doing, and a lot of times, I have defaulted to love. I’m not saying what I did was wrong, but could I have done better?

The real problem for me is that overtime I have made some parts of my Christianity cliche. I say it so many times without thinking that it has become meaningless. This leads me to not really engage with Jesus when I bump into a problem. I just go with the easy button of my chosen shortcut. I feel better, and I can move on with my day. No engagement of the Word, no guiding of the Holy Spirit.

So how do we get around becoming cliche Christians? First, God has given you laid out instructions on how to live your life, how to love God, how to treat you family, and how to treat other people. This is what we judge our behavior by. They are the guiding light and the ‘scorecard’ of our Christianity.

Here is what I want you to do.  I want you to pick out five of your favorite scriptures from the Bible that you think tell you what it is to be a good Christian, especially in your behavior and interaction with God and the people around you. Then I want you to study those until you really understand them. Then, compare your behavior and thought to those scriptures.  How did you do?  Are you living up to the standard?  Where could you have done better?

Here is the second thing. I want you to pray every day for a week. In that prayer, I want you to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your interactions with others.  If we don’t want to be Pharisees, we have to have a living relationship. The only way I have seen any relationship work is through communication.

So in conclusion if you don’t want to be a cliche Christian, you must first have the discipline to interact with the living Word of God. Second, you must try to understand and apply these words. And finally, you must seek a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

– Written by Jeremiah

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