By DOUG South |
|||
12⎪JULY 2024⎪www . cmausa . org |
WHAT does the Bible teach about behaving like a
Christian ?
Romans 12:9-18 ( NASB ) “ Love must be free of hypocrisy . Detest what is evil ; cling to what is good . Be devoted to one another in brotherly love ; give preference to one another in honor , not lagging behind in diligence , fervent in spirit , serving the Lord ; rejoicing in hope , persevering in tribulation , devoted to prayer , contributing to the needs of the saints , practicing hospitality . Bless those who persecute you ; bless and do not curse . Rejoice with those who rejoice , and weep with those who weep . Be of the same mind toward one another ; do not be haughty in mind , but associate with the lowly . Do not be wise in your own estimation . Never repay evil for evil to anyone . Respect what is right in the sight of all people . If possible , so far as it depends on you , be at peace with all people .”
Love must be free of Hypocrisy . Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one ’ s own behavior does not conform . Do we , as Christians , say we need to love , but secretly , inside , we look at people and judge what they look like , smell like , and act like ? Maybe we even look at other Christians and decide whether or not they walk closely enough with the Lord .
Detest what is evil . Detest means to regard with disgust . These days , some people in society seem to
|
accept evil as normal . Some things that have become normal are profanity , sexual immorality , drug use , lack of acknowledging the sanctity of life , and not protecting the innocence of children ; we cannot get caught up in the world ’ s values when the world is calling evil good .
Cling to what is good . The fruit of the Spirit is good .
Galatians 5:22-23a ( NKJV ), “ love , joy , peace , long suffering , kindness , goodness , faithfulness , gentleness , self-control .”
I have known CMA members for a long time and see that you are full of the fruit of the Spirit . You always smile and bring joy as you serve ; your kindness shows your faithfulness to what God has called us all to .
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love and give preference to one another in honor . Philippians 2:3 ( NKJV ), “ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit , but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself .”
Not lagging behind in diligence , being fervent in spirit , and serving the Lord . Fervent in spirit is to be passionate about what the LORD wants . When we are passionate about what the LORD wants , like RFS , serving at rallies and events to build relationships with others , or serving in our jobs as unto the LORD , God blesses those efforts with a significant increase . Colossians3:23-24 ( NKJV ), “ And
|
whatever you do , do it heartily , as to the Lord and not to men , knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance ; for you serve the Lord Christ .”
Rejoicing in hope . We have the hope of eternity with God in Heaven , forgiveness , new bodies that won ’ t hurt and be sick , and the hope of seeing our loved ones who have gone on before us . We have so much to rejoice in hope for .
Persevering in tribulation . We all go through trying times , through things that make us wonder why . Think about Joseph ’ s life and all he went through to be where God needed him to be to save all of Egypt and his family . Sometimes , the ups and downs of life may very well be God ’ s plan for us . God sees the whole story from up high ; we only see the moment to moment . When we persevere through these trials , we come to the other side , seeing God ’ s hand of covering and faithfulness .
Devoted to prayer . 1 Thessalonians says to pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything . To pray without ceasing is to continually be grateful in our minds and thoughts and turn every thought and care to the Lord . We know there is power in prayer , and the most important thing we can do for others or ourselves is to pray .
Contributing to the needs of the saints . God calls us to help each
|