Saturday, October 14, 2017

Do They Even Notice?

Verse of the day: Genesis 26:28 But they said, "We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you,"

What sets you and I apart from the world? I know the "canned" answered to that question is "Jesus"; and we would be right in responding with that. However, what I want to know, and want us to think about, is the following: "Do others see Jesus in us so readily that they notice that we are different than we used to be, or that we are very different than everyone else in our attitude and behavior? Are we giving the Lord enough room in our lives to work so that people take note that there is something that is truly different about us? I hear too many Christians talk about how they are a Christian, and how others need Jesus, but I also see some of those same Christians behaving like the world, and doing nothing to serve God, or allowing Him no room to do what He desires to do in their lives. Any one of us can be guilty of this. Isaac, in trusting God, and not engaging the Philistines, gave Him room to work on his behalf. Abimelech saw God's hand at work in Isaac's life, and it caused him to acknowledge it, and made him want to be aligned with Isaac, rather than be at odds with him, out of his (Abimelech's) fear for the Lord. How do people respond to us when they find out that we are Christians? Are they surprised because they see us behaving like them, swearing, speaking inappropriately, having a poor work ethic, being unkind, always worrying and complaining (just to name of few things); or do we leave them thinking, or saying, "I knew there was something different about him/her"? How are we going to give others the opportunity to see God work in our lives if our lives look no different than the unsaved? Are we not commanded to stand apart and not be like them in manner and lifestyle? 2 Corinthians 6:17 tells us to come out from among the unsaved and be separate. In John 17:16, Jesus said that we are not of the world, as He is not of the world. In Christ, our home is Heaven. Philippians 3:20 tells us that our citizenship is in Heaven. Does our attitude, and the way we interact with others, make it obvious to them that we belong to Jesus? Do we love one another, as children of God, in such a way that others know that we belong to Him? Jesus told us, in John 13:35, that people will know that we are His disciples, if we have love for one another. How are we doing with that? 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is long suffering, kind, does not envy, is not proud, is not rude, does not look down on others, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth. In that same chapter it tells us that if we do not have love, we are just making a lot of noise, to God, even if we can speak with the tongues of men and of angels. Regardless of how talented we may be, and what we might be capable of, if we do not have love, we are nothing in God's estimation. If we give all that we have away to the poor, but have not love, it profits us nothing before the Lord. The bottom line is that we can call ourselves Christian all we want, but what use is it if our lives do not reflect that we belong to Jesus? How can we say that we belong to the Lord, but then post ungodly things on social media, and go on ungodly rants about this or that? If we are going to live godly, and desire that others see God working in our lives, so that He can show Himself, and open doors of opportunities for us to share the Gospel with others, then we must start living our life like we believe what we tell others we believe. The saddest part of all of this is that if we choose to live like the world, some day, when we stand before the Lord, we will regret what we have lost in heavenly reward, because we chose not to stand apart, and represent Him here on earth in a way that honored God, and made others take notice that we truly were different as children of God.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

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