Does Your Conduct Contradict or Confirm Your Faith in God?

By


Does Your Conduct Contradict or Confirm Your Faith in God?

“…Not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” (Titus 2:10)

Christianity is not a list of dos and don’ts or an intellectual belief in the tenets of the Christian faith.

True faith is having a personal relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ. We have been born again to a living hope, a relationship with the risen Savior who lives in and through the life of each believer.

That being the case, Scripture exhorts us to be good examples of the relationship we proclaim:

“Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…” (Philippians 1:27)

If we are to be effective representatives of Christianity, our conduct cannot contradict what we say we believe in.

We live in a difficult environment, and it is critical to work at staying away from every form of evil. In fact, we are told to live “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” (Philippians 2:15)

But, everyone else is doing it, so it must be okay. Right?

Wrong. God’s view is usually the direct opposite of what the world says is okay. Our goal is to please and delight an audience of One. That audience is God himself. The world’s opinion does not count.

Here are two excellent Bible verses to help us remember how different God’s wisdom and the wisdom of the world are:

“Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20)

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness…” (1 Corinthians 3:19)

The more we read the Word of God, the more we realize the truth of these statements. As we allow the transforming work of the Word to fill our spirit, we become people who “adorn the doctrine of God.”

Today, ask yourself:

Am I good advertisement for the kingdom of God by the way I act, talk, and treat others?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don’t Water it Down!

By
Image
  And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature… (2 Peter 1:4) Don’t Water it Down All of us have dreams we’re believing for, but too often we get discouraged and quit believing for the fullness of what’s in our heart. It’s easy to water down what God promised us. “I don’t like this job, but it’s good enough.” “I was believing for a house, but this apartment is okay.” “I was hoping to get well, but I’ve learned to live with this sickness.” If you’re going to become all you were created to be, you have to keep a fire in your spirit that says, “I refuse to settle for less than what God promised.” You’re not going to be talked out of it, you’re not going to water it down, and you’re not going to let good enough be good enough. It may be more difficult and taking longer than you thought, but what God promised you is still on the way—not a watered-down version, not a make-do promotion,
Read more

Experience SON POWER!

By
Image
                    Experience SON POWER I love to watch the clouds in the sky during the day and in the brightness of the moon at night. Watching those clouds move is an illustration to me of how God is always on the move. He is continually working to change our circumstances and is always available to intervene in the affairs of mankind. Sometimes the clouds appear to be still, but if I watch long enough, I see their changing shapes, I notice them moving ever so slightly and silently. I would not even be aware of that movement if I was not focused intently on them. God is like this so much of the time. He is on the move in our circumstances.  The landscape of our lives is constantly changing, and God is there, directing and guiding, even when we are unaware.  The book of Psalms says it well, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” (Psalm 77:19). When I coined the word  Kingdom of God  I was at the beginning of my own j
Read more

The Roots of Hope!

By
Image
  The Roots of Hope Scripture: Habakkuk 3:17–19 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. ”  From a circumstantial standpoint, the prophet Habakkuk lived in a terrible time. The land was soon to be invaded and, because of the disobedience of the people to God over time, prosperity was no more. Even though the circumstances were bad, Habakkuk gives us the formula for not only surviving but also thriving in such a period. The above passage shows us that Habakkuk did not allow circumstances to steal his joy. It is an example for us that our joy and happiness have to be based on more than just having go
Read more