Let your actions glorify your Father in Heaven.....
Ok, full disclosure. If this blog was a journal, it would begin, "Dear Lord, please help me change my attitude and actions so that I may glorify you in all things that I do." I am not there, I am struggling along with the rest of the world, but sometimes the LORD has us write about things that we too struggle with, and that is the case this time. Have you ever been somewhere and you saw someone acting inappropriately, and you noticed that they had a cross hanging around their neck. What were your thoughts?
I recently made a gift for a friend, well if you call painting a mug, "making." But I did put a strong effort into the design and the painting mind you. :) I am not very creative with craft like projects; add in my health issues and these types of projects take time. So, I was able to spend some time people watching. Do you like to do that? I do.
I found myself surrounded with people of all ages and pairings. Mothers with children, grandparents with grandchildren, friends and couples. I watched them interact with each other and with the staff. Some of my fellow art lovers were openly Christian. They wore cross jewelry, some talked about their churches and others were painting Christian objects. What I identified most with was their interactions. Some people were very kind, very loving; clearly displaying the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22) Others not so much. They displayed more hostility towards each other than kindness: arguing or quarreling with each other. You could feel the anger, perhaps resentment, definitely a lack of joy. Snide comments were not uncommon. Of course they were often masked with laughter, but you could see how the comment was received and you could feel the punch back. You see, I am all too familiar with these types of comments. I don't like it. I believe it is hurtful and if we have something to say, we should just say it with a pure heart and address it. But that is not our normal way. It has taken a lot of prayer, and reliance on the Holy Spirit for me to not give off my anger through snide comments, although I am not proud to say, it is easy for me to slip back into it.
You may be thinking, don't look at the splinter in their eye, when I have a plank in my own. Believe me, I was not just sitting there watching others in judgement. It really made me think. I wear a cross. I go to bible study. I go to church. I study the bible.....how do others see me?
What do my behaviors look like? I am in pain everyday. And when the day goes on, it increases and I get tired very easily. Can you see that pain on my face?
If there is one thing that I have learned, it is that people are always watching. It is human to observe others. And if you are wearing a cross, those watching are naturally going to interpret that your behaviors represent those of a Christian. Christian, "little Christ." So I am asking myself, am I behaving in a manor that is honoring my God? Would one would look at me and say, I can see Christ in how she behaves?
I hurt. Granted, but I do my best, no matter how tired I am to smile at others I greet as I walk through WalMart, for example. I try to be kind to the checkers, for I know how they have to interact with some abrasive individuals on a daily basis. But this really made me examine, what do I look like or sound like when I am not being intentional. For example, what about when I am interacting with my sweetheart in the aisles at WalMart? After 25 years, yes he is still my sweetheart :), how am I treating him? People are watching those interactions just as much as they are watching my intentional interactions with the checker. What do they see? Do they see someone following Christ? Can they tell that I am a Christian, not by my cross, but by my actions, even when I am exhausted, in terrible pain and my brain is no longer cooperating with me?
Something else that I have learned, you never know when you are going to be the vessel for which God will use you to impact someones life. You don't always know what action it is that moves someone - you may not even know that you did. The key is that you positioned yourself so that you could.
Today's scripture comes from our Savior Jesus Christ. It comes as a part of the Sermon on the Mount where Christ lays out the life that He desires for us to live. In Matthew 5:14,16 Christ tells us, You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden....In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
We are to be a light for others to find Jesus Christ. Christ says in verse 15, Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. The light of Christ is intended to be spread, shared. That is our job. We are to position ourselves, strengthen our faith, pray, read God's Word, rest, eat well, do all that is needed to be ready to allow Christ to shine through us and bring those who are in the dark into the light.
I pray there are two key take aways from this blog. First, as Christ tells us in today's scripture, we are the light of the world. They are to see our good deeds and praise the Father. That means that we have to position ourselves to be used by Jesus Christ. People are watching. Our actions, our interactions matter. Think about how to behave in a manner that is pleasing to God, that others will say, "that is a Christian - little Christ," without any prompting.
The second learning point comes from verse 15, when Christ tells us to give light to everyone in the house. No one is excluded. So that supports the idea that everyone is watching and we do not know when Christ will use us. But I know, life is hard. We are going to get tired, worn out, hurt, get mad.....we cannot do this alone. It's impossible. Fortunately we do not have to. Christ left us an advocate to teach us his Word, to pray for us when we don't know what to pray for, to convict us and aid us in obedience which brings us closer to God. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to help us.
In this area of allowing Christ to shine through, my husband is my inspiration. We visited a local church and when he heard that the kids were meeting for dinner before heading off to go skiing, he made 10 fresh cases of cotton candy for them to eat. When we heard doors closing and a loud sound at 3:00 in the morning, he investigated seeing that our neighbor was in distress. He immediately went to her rescue. And while eating, an elderly woman approached a table with her walker; it was my husband who was first to pull out a chair and assisted her in getting firmly seated, safely with her family. That was just last weekend. It is his loving, giving heart that I admire and aspire to. He makes me proud to call him my husband.
Jesus was asked in Mark chapter 12 what the greatest commandment was, he said, you must love the LORD God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself. What a powerful scripture to have at the forefront of ones mind everyday as we go about our business. Replay your day in your head. If this scripture was at the forefront, would you have changed anything that you did? Think about the impact that one behavior change could have......
I am continually learning more and more about what this ministry is to be about and one thing is for certain. God's Word is not meant to be left on a page, his truths are to be directions for life. I pray that that is how I use them and that he continues to teach me to apply them to my daily life. I so desire to honor him. Lord please give me wisdom. I pray that I can share what I learn with you so that we can strengthen the Christian flock and be the light of the world that God desires. A city on a hill that cannot be hidden. May we each Go Boldly with a desire to grasp God's Word and apply it. May our daily actions be pleasing to our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
All scripture NIV unless noted
I recently made a gift for a friend, well if you call painting a mug, "making." But I did put a strong effort into the design and the painting mind you. :) I am not very creative with craft like projects; add in my health issues and these types of projects take time. So, I was able to spend some time people watching. Do you like to do that? I do.
I found myself surrounded with people of all ages and pairings. Mothers with children, grandparents with grandchildren, friends and couples. I watched them interact with each other and with the staff. Some of my fellow art lovers were openly Christian. They wore cross jewelry, some talked about their churches and others were painting Christian objects. What I identified most with was their interactions. Some people were very kind, very loving; clearly displaying the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22) Others not so much. They displayed more hostility towards each other than kindness: arguing or quarreling with each other. You could feel the anger, perhaps resentment, definitely a lack of joy. Snide comments were not uncommon. Of course they were often masked with laughter, but you could see how the comment was received and you could feel the punch back. You see, I am all too familiar with these types of comments. I don't like it. I believe it is hurtful and if we have something to say, we should just say it with a pure heart and address it. But that is not our normal way. It has taken a lot of prayer, and reliance on the Holy Spirit for me to not give off my anger through snide comments, although I am not proud to say, it is easy for me to slip back into it.
You may be thinking, don't look at the splinter in their eye, when I have a plank in my own. Believe me, I was not just sitting there watching others in judgement. It really made me think. I wear a cross. I go to bible study. I go to church. I study the bible.....how do others see me?
What do my behaviors look like? I am in pain everyday. And when the day goes on, it increases and I get tired very easily. Can you see that pain on my face?
If there is one thing that I have learned, it is that people are always watching. It is human to observe others. And if you are wearing a cross, those watching are naturally going to interpret that your behaviors represent those of a Christian. Christian, "little Christ." So I am asking myself, am I behaving in a manor that is honoring my God? Would one would look at me and say, I can see Christ in how she behaves?
I hurt. Granted, but I do my best, no matter how tired I am to smile at others I greet as I walk through WalMart, for example. I try to be kind to the checkers, for I know how they have to interact with some abrasive individuals on a daily basis. But this really made me examine, what do I look like or sound like when I am not being intentional. For example, what about when I am interacting with my sweetheart in the aisles at WalMart? After 25 years, yes he is still my sweetheart :), how am I treating him? People are watching those interactions just as much as they are watching my intentional interactions with the checker. What do they see? Do they see someone following Christ? Can they tell that I am a Christian, not by my cross, but by my actions, even when I am exhausted, in terrible pain and my brain is no longer cooperating with me?
Something else that I have learned, you never know when you are going to be the vessel for which God will use you to impact someones life. You don't always know what action it is that moves someone - you may not even know that you did. The key is that you positioned yourself so that you could.
Today's scripture comes from our Savior Jesus Christ. It comes as a part of the Sermon on the Mount where Christ lays out the life that He desires for us to live. In Matthew 5:14,16 Christ tells us, You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden....In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
We are to be a light for others to find Jesus Christ. Christ says in verse 15, Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. The light of Christ is intended to be spread, shared. That is our job. We are to position ourselves, strengthen our faith, pray, read God's Word, rest, eat well, do all that is needed to be ready to allow Christ to shine through us and bring those who are in the dark into the light.
I pray there are two key take aways from this blog. First, as Christ tells us in today's scripture, we are the light of the world. They are to see our good deeds and praise the Father. That means that we have to position ourselves to be used by Jesus Christ. People are watching. Our actions, our interactions matter. Think about how to behave in a manner that is pleasing to God, that others will say, "that is a Christian - little Christ," without any prompting.
The second learning point comes from verse 15, when Christ tells us to give light to everyone in the house. No one is excluded. So that supports the idea that everyone is watching and we do not know when Christ will use us. But I know, life is hard. We are going to get tired, worn out, hurt, get mad.....we cannot do this alone. It's impossible. Fortunately we do not have to. Christ left us an advocate to teach us his Word, to pray for us when we don't know what to pray for, to convict us and aid us in obedience which brings us closer to God. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to help us.
In this area of allowing Christ to shine through, my husband is my inspiration. We visited a local church and when he heard that the kids were meeting for dinner before heading off to go skiing, he made 10 fresh cases of cotton candy for them to eat. When we heard doors closing and a loud sound at 3:00 in the morning, he investigated seeing that our neighbor was in distress. He immediately went to her rescue. And while eating, an elderly woman approached a table with her walker; it was my husband who was first to pull out a chair and assisted her in getting firmly seated, safely with her family. That was just last weekend. It is his loving, giving heart that I admire and aspire to. He makes me proud to call him my husband.
Jesus was asked in Mark chapter 12 what the greatest commandment was, he said, you must love the LORD God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself. What a powerful scripture to have at the forefront of ones mind everyday as we go about our business. Replay your day in your head. If this scripture was at the forefront, would you have changed anything that you did? Think about the impact that one behavior change could have......
I am continually learning more and more about what this ministry is to be about and one thing is for certain. God's Word is not meant to be left on a page, his truths are to be directions for life. I pray that that is how I use them and that he continues to teach me to apply them to my daily life. I so desire to honor him. Lord please give me wisdom. I pray that I can share what I learn with you so that we can strengthen the Christian flock and be the light of the world that God desires. A city on a hill that cannot be hidden. May we each Go Boldly with a desire to grasp God's Word and apply it. May our daily actions be pleasing to our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
All scripture NIV unless noted
Amen! Dee, you are always a light to me!! Also, "You Go Uncle Brian!"! His actions do not surprise me at all! You both put others first. What a great example for us all to follow.
ReplyDeleteActions speak louder than your words. May we all be an example, a bright light for our Lord!
Michelle, my dear sister-in-Christ, you are too kind. With your smile and laughter, there can be no darkness. Thank you for your friendship. May it be everlasting!
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