Trendsetting

TRENDSETTING

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14 New King James Version).

As Christians today, we are the way that the world experiences Jesus. What examples are we setting for non-believers if we block out the Son? Pursue peace with all people, and holiness… (v. 14); we are commanded to be a peaceful and holy people. We must ensure we are living our faith, and our belief in Christ is strong, and our worship of Him is true. Jesus should be a priority in our lives. Our spirits and hearts need to be fed daily on the word of God; prayer and fellowship with God, along with other believers, are vital components as well.

We won’t effectively witness to the lost if we have not fully given ourselves to Him. Doing the same activities our unsaved friends and family do; condoning behavior God has called sinful; speaking and acting with self-righteous attitudes as though we are better than everyone else is not Godly behavior and cannot be construed as examples of Christ-likeness. It’s true that Jesus was a friend to sinners, it’s true that He ate and drank with those who were of unsavory character according to the Sadducees and Pharisees; however, Jesus did not sin. He did not behave as those to whom He ministered. He acted in love, and lovingly revealed their hearts to them, which is why He had so many followers. His spiritual light was so bright He was a magnet to those who wanted what He had. When we call ourselves Christian and yet live as the world lives, doing the things the world does, we are not showing the world the difference that Jesus makes. How can the world know who Jesus is if we don’t show them?

The world sees Jesus as portrayed by today’s Christian. What kind of an example are you setting?

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the blessing of this day! May Your hand cover and protect those who are bringing Your word into areas of this earth where the enemy would like to shut their mouths. Father, may Your missionaries abroad and local have boldness to speak and behave the way Jesus did. May they have courage, strength and endurance to walk where You lead them, to speak when You tell them, to stay quiet when necessary. May they have discernment and wisdom to follow Your prompting and purposes. Father, may You speak to those of us who have not fully submitted, may You reveal the darkness in our hearts and may Your Holy Spirit begin to house clean. May we have grace to surrender that which is not of You, may we have grace to humble ourselves and recognize our behavior when it’s not in accordance with Your word and may we repent of that sin. Father, teach us to be salt and light, teach us to be more like Jesus. Remove that which hinders our spiritual growth, remove that which causes us to stumble and fall continuously, change our hearts, change our attitudes. We love You Father and desire to know You more. Reveal Yourself to us, remind us of Your love for us. We give You all glory and honor. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today’s Attitude of Worship: When around unsaved friends or family, make a point to behave as Jesus would; not as though you are better and more holy, but don’t engage in the same activities. React to situations with love and humility, forgiveness and grace. Learn to say “No” and then learn to explain why you said “No.”

Additional Scriptures: Matthew 5: 13-16; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 6:15

Shalom,

Prudence

*****Adapted from my book Today’s Bible Treasure Simple Christianity Volume 1*****