The kind of lives we live really matters. The way we treat others, the way we treat our own bodies, the language we use, being true to our word, honouring our commitments, being honest and truthful in all our dealings, acknowledging our mistakes and not being too proud to say sorry - all of this really matters. We’ve all heard the saying, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven” and of course that is true. But it’s a perversion of the gospel and a cheapening of God’s grace to use a saying like that to justify a mediocre, undisciplined life. No, God wants us to live holy lives. Not ‘holier-than-thou’ lives - but holy lives. Lives that reflect the Spirit of God living within us. Lives which are qualitatively different because God is at the centre.
This is the most eloquent testimony we could ever give. In fact Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:
“Who you are speaks so loudly
that I cannot hear what you are saying!”
In a very real sense, what’s inside of us cannot remain hidden. Who we really are becomes evident in the lives we live. So if we are serious about being a faithful witness to Jesus - which is the calling of every disciple - we have to pay careful attention to what is happening in our hearts:
- the recurring malicious thoughts and cynical attitudes that are ours,
- the anger & rage that simmers below the surface,
- the destructive patterns of behaviour that sabotage our relationships,
- the festering bitterness caused by old hurts that we have not forgiven
The list could go on and on. We need to enter the “inner room” of prayer each day to acknowledge these things before God, in order for God’s work of healing and transformation to reach deep within to these our places of most profound need.
This is, of course, a lifelong process - but so long as we are on that inner journey of healing and transformation, it becomes possible for us to offer a truthful witness to our faith that will “command the respect of outsiders” as we live holy and beautiful lives.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Lord for the many people who have been a witness to me of what a life of authentic discipleship can look like. Thank you for the challenge of their example and the inspiration of their faithfulness. Help me to embrace your calling for me to live a pure and holy life. Amen
FOCUS READING
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 – (The Message) You're God-Taught
One final word, friends. We ask you - urge is more like it - that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity. Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful - as beautiful on the inside as the outside. If you disregard this advice, you're not offending your neighbors; you're rejecting God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit. Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it. Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.
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