As Christians, it’s important that we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s also important that our lifestyles line up with the way the Bible says we should carry ourselves. “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:” – 2 Corinthians 3:2 Today’s blog entry is titled “What Is My Life Saying To Others?”
An epistle is a letter. And letters are obviously a form of communication. Each day of our lives, we are communicating things to others through our actions. People tend to form opinions of other people based on the way they see them act. As Christians, we should be living a lifestyle that is consistent with the Word of God. This isn’t to say that we won’t make mistakes, but rather to emphasize the fact we should be striving to do the best we can to represent Jesus Christ. Think about it like this scenario…. You know two people who told you they are best friends and they have a great friendship. Yet every time you see them together, they are yelling at each other and hurling insults at each other. There’s a good chance you would question if they really had a great friendship. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that friends can have disagreements, and I understand that Christians can have times when they do things they later regret. However when a person does something on a consistent basis in their life, they are generally sending some type of message or establishing some type of pattern.
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
It’s important to remember that this life is not about doing whatever we want to do. This life is about serving Jesus Christ, and following His will for our lives. We should never forget the significance of what Jesus Christ did for us by dying on the cross. We have all sinned and deserved to go to Hell, and yet Jesus provided us with salvation. With that being said, there may be someone reading this and thinking, “I’m really trying to grow in my Christian walk, but it seems like I keep making the same mistakes over and over again.” For instance, maybe someone has a habit of using profanity, and they have been trying to stop with no success. If they want to overcome this, they should spend time in prayer. They should also examine what they’ve been taking in (listening to/watching). If someone is constantly listening to music with profanity and watching TV/Movies with profanity, they should acknowledge the fact that it could be contributing to them doing the very thing they’re trying to stop doing. Think about the songs you currently enjoy listening to….If you were to take away the beat and read strictly the lyrics, would you feel comfortable reading those lyrics aloud if you saw Jesus standing the same room with you? If you can’t answer yes to that question, you may want to take a look at why you enjoy listening to the music. And this doesn’t only apply to music. If we’re battling an issue in a particular area, we should examine our lives and take a look at what may be contributing to the issue.
So as we continue to grow in our walk with Jesus, let us live lifestyles that honor God (and communicate positive messages to the people that we come in contact with). Let us study His Word, and continually make an effort to be more like Jesus each and every day.
“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” - 2 Corinthians 3:3
An epistle is a letter. And letters are obviously a form of communication. Each day of our lives, we are communicating things to others through our actions. People tend to form opinions of other people based on the way they see them act. As Christians, we should be living a lifestyle that is consistent with the Word of God. This isn’t to say that we won’t make mistakes, but rather to emphasize the fact we should be striving to do the best we can to represent Jesus Christ. Think about it like this scenario…. You know two people who told you they are best friends and they have a great friendship. Yet every time you see them together, they are yelling at each other and hurling insults at each other. There’s a good chance you would question if they really had a great friendship. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that friends can have disagreements, and I understand that Christians can have times when they do things they later regret. However when a person does something on a consistent basis in their life, they are generally sending some type of message or establishing some type of pattern.
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
It’s important to remember that this life is not about doing whatever we want to do. This life is about serving Jesus Christ, and following His will for our lives. We should never forget the significance of what Jesus Christ did for us by dying on the cross. We have all sinned and deserved to go to Hell, and yet Jesus provided us with salvation. With that being said, there may be someone reading this and thinking, “I’m really trying to grow in my Christian walk, but it seems like I keep making the same mistakes over and over again.” For instance, maybe someone has a habit of using profanity, and they have been trying to stop with no success. If they want to overcome this, they should spend time in prayer. They should also examine what they’ve been taking in (listening to/watching). If someone is constantly listening to music with profanity and watching TV/Movies with profanity, they should acknowledge the fact that it could be contributing to them doing the very thing they’re trying to stop doing. Think about the songs you currently enjoy listening to….If you were to take away the beat and read strictly the lyrics, would you feel comfortable reading those lyrics aloud if you saw Jesus standing the same room with you? If you can’t answer yes to that question, you may want to take a look at why you enjoy listening to the music. And this doesn’t only apply to music. If we’re battling an issue in a particular area, we should examine our lives and take a look at what may be contributing to the issue.
So as we continue to grow in our walk with Jesus, let us live lifestyles that honor God (and communicate positive messages to the people that we come in contact with). Let us study His Word, and continually make an effort to be more like Jesus each and every day.
“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” - 2 Corinthians 3:3