Real: Becoming a 24/7 Follower of Jesus

I just finished reading the book Real by Pastor Jamie Snyder. He starts his book by asking the reader to ask him or herself, “Would people know I’m a Christian if they didn’t see me at church?”

What I especially liked about the book was, he told us that living like a Christian is living the way Jesus did. That He is our example. And Snyder shared some of the things Jesus did on a day by day basis and suggested how we can do those things too.

One I really took to heart was that Jesus shared the Good News. And that Good News wasn’t just the gospel which means “good news”; He was the good news to people! He shared Himself! He fed the hungry, took care of the poor, restored dignity to the marginalized people in the society and cast out evil spirits. Snyder wrote, “Following Jesus is not so much about following Him in the directional sense, like east or west on a path, but more about getting wrapped up in the things He is wrapped up in. So following Jesus is less to do with whether you go here, there, or somewhere else, and more about being good news to people here, there, or somewhere else.”

The book challenged me to “be good news” to people. To infuse hope and joy and peace and patience and kindness and self-control and love into the daily circumstances of this world. To be the kind of person people go to for encouragement, knowing they won’t be judged or scolded. To have people leave my presence a little less anxious.

These are the kinds of things this book gets you to think about!

Disclosure: I was given this book by Bethany House to review on my blog. They did not ask for a positive review; only an honest one.