Careless Actions

You are being observed by people at all times when you are where they are.  What you say, what you do and where you go may make the difference whether they become a believer or not.  It is easy to complain about your troubles to your neighbors, complaining about this and that but be careful because if you act like everyone else they know, then why would they want to be a believer?  

I am convinced that people are looking for change because they are not happy with their life the way it is or the circumstances and situations they find themselves in.  Just think of the people that drink alcohol and take drugs, they are trying to find a way to make themselves feel good and escape reality so that they can cope with life.  The problem is they may start out that way, but when they are hooked it is like they have an angry monkey on their back screaming for more drugs and they can’t get him off and they are miserable, doing whatever they can to get the next fix.  

Why do non-believers make this statement, “Believers need a crutch to get by, so they use Jesus as their crutch?”  It is like an oxymoron for them to say because they are doing the same thing with drugs and alcohol; it is sort of like calling a kettle black.  In the condition these people are in they are looking for hope and change, why do you think Obama won the election and became president?  It was because he kept hammering change and that was what many people wanted, even though he wouldn’t say what kind of change.  If Obama would have told the people what the change was he was talking about, I don’t think he would be in office today. Politicians have a way of hiding behind closed doors and keeping things a secret until they have deceived the people enough to squeak by and get what they want.

But believers should not to be that way; we are to be truthful in our dealings with people.  Non-believers are used to being lied to, cheated and used because they do the same thing.  But they view believers in a different light, so to speak, they have their own perceptions of what a believer should be and many times their view is not practical.  

It says this in Matthew 5:14-15, “Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and it giveth light to all that are in the house.”  Too many times we allow that light within us to become dull because of the way we act and by what we say in front of our neighbors. Because of fear or timidity we avoid questions we are asked about the Lord or we get angry when confronted with derogatory remarks about our faith.

Try to remember that you are being tested by some people because the people you come in contact with want to see if your testimony is real, there are others that just want to harass you and make fun of you.  Either way you may be the only Jesus they have ever seen and what you say and do may mean the difference of life and death in their lives.  In other words they may decide to reject or receive Jesus because of your actions and words.  You may miss the opportunity to pray the sinner’s prayer with them and the Lord may choose to use someone else in your place and you would miss out on that blessing.

The Word says this in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  These verses were taken from the KJV New Application Study Bible.  I know that believers aren’t perfect, by far, but we need to strive for perfection so that we can affect others for the good as we walk through life.  This doesn’t mean we are like door mats but we need to try to do our best to be a bright shining light for the Kingdom, and a shining example before our neighbors. PRAISE THE Lord!!  May God bless you and yours and have a great day.