Are you part of the problem? - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 9, 2023

When last did you read the Book of Titus? I have to confess it's a part of the Bible I need to study more. Like the rest of the Good Book, it has practical instructions that, if applied, serve to make life more straightforward and enable me to serve the LORD as He requires.

Consider Titus 2:7-8 - In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

The bolded section jumped out at me recently as it highlighted a responsibility that is easily ignored by most of us Christians. We are expected to carry ourselves a certain way so that others will have nothing bad to say about us as well as the larger body of Christ.

You're likely thinking that even if you behaved like a saint, someone would find something bad to say about you. You're right. The reality is that people who do not believe in Jesus, and who do not submit to God, cannot have anything good to say about those who follow the Lord. We need only look at the experience of Jesus who was without sin and yet the people of His day chose to save a murderer from death instead of the Son of God.

Yet, a responsibility remains. We Christians must not behave in a way that gives others ammunition to accuse us and thereby, insult the Lord. In Romans 2:24, Paul lamented saying, As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” He was talking to believers who failed to observe God's instructions. We cannot claim to be Christians and not even try to behave in a Christ-like manner. Remember that the first Christians earned that title because of how they carried themselves. They didn't call themselves Christians, it was non-Christians who had heard the story of Christ that looked at His believers and could identify them as such.

Can someone randomly look at you and tell from your behavior that you believe in Christ Jesus? When you do the things you do ordinarily, are they Christ-like? When you speak to or about people, do you speak from a place of love or otherwise? When you leave comments online, are your words salted with grace as we are commanded in Colossians 4:6? Or, are they peppered with gossip, insults, ungodly ideology and vile language?

There is a standard God wants His people to keep. The question is do we? Or are we content to live no differently from unbelievers? Are we happy to ignore God's word and then give ammunition to those who then dismiss the Lord when they look at our behavior?

We each need to look at ourselves and be honest, do the things we do give Jesus, God and our faith a bad name? Don't worry about what others are doing or not doing as this is not the time to point fingers at others. This is about you and I and how we carry ourselves.

May the Lord help each of us to be honest and introspective. In childlike humility, may we see our flaws and allow God to help us overcome them, so we lead holy, blameless lives that give Him glory and cause others to praise Him, IJMN Amen.