The Bible says, “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God” ( 1 Peter 2:12). How are you striving to live out this instruction?
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PSRegina on July 1, 2009 at 7:06 am
First I must rely on God to live each moment in a way that brings him honor and glory.
Next I must be ready to humble myself and seek forgiveness when I mess things up.
Remaining in the Word daily and making time for conversations (conversations include listening) with God are central to living out this and all other instruction.
sjamieso on July 1, 2009 at 10:11 am
I agree with this statement. This is something that I practice every day. Some days I’m successful at it and other times I’m not. I’ve had some difficulty at times forgiving myself for messing up. And I would think to myself that the answer is just to stay in the house and away from people to avoid the temptation of being around unbelievers and not holding up. And it’s at those times that the thoughts of me disappointing God would weigh down on me. I would feel bad about doing it, which I believe if you do something wrong and you don’t feel bad that’s a dangerous position to be in, but I sometimes am very hard on myself. I believe this is one of my greatest challenges and one that requires me spending a lot of time in the presence of God in order to gain strength and courage to overcome.
mstigall on July 1, 2009 at 7:07 am
“Living properly” for me means that as Christians we shoud stand out and be noticably different from the world around us.
So here’s a quick test…
Do I laugh at the same jokes my unbelieving neighbor laughs at?
Do I watch the same shows/movies?
Does the checks written out of my checkbook reflect what I believe?
To be the proper neighbor I have to daily die to self (very difficult at times) and surrender all to the “One” who surrendered all for me.
tealwonder94 on July 5, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I like how you gave a pragmatic take on this, mstigall. It’s helpful to give oneself a “litmus test” and not generally assess, “Hey, I’m a pretty good person” and leave it at that — not actively pursuing holiness each day.
When I consider your questions, I realize that I don’t do as good of a job as I should in this area. I don’t consider it near as often as I should. Yet I do try to demonstrate God’s love by reaching out to others in “minor” need — helping someone carry groceries, genuinely wishing the cashier “Have a good day” even when he/she doesn’t say it first. I usually think that I if asked why I do it, I would answer, “I’m a Christian and this is a way I can share God’s love.” I guess it’s a baby step. I will try to implement some of the suggestions here.
PSRegina on July 2, 2009 at 7:40 am
sjamieso – I struggled for years with this. Here is what helped me – hope it helps you too.
Grace.
God knows I am going to mess up before I do. He loves me even knowing I am going to mess up. He gave His Son because He knew I would mess up. And He Loves Me Anyway. Praise God!
God doesn’t ask me to be perfect. He does ask that I love Him with my whole heart, my whole mind, my whole body, and my whole spirit. If God knows I am not perfect and loves me still – I can know I am not perfect and love me still as well.
Be Blessed!
tom felten on July 2, 2009 at 7:58 am
sjamieso and psregina,
The grace of God is truly amazing! I’m reminded of what the Apostle Paul once wrote. He struggled with sin even as he strived to live for Jesus. He confessed, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:21-25).
By Jesus’ power and presence, we can live a live that honors Him and reflects His beauty to others!
mstigall on July 3, 2009 at 6:50 am
PSRegina – you state that
“God doesn’t ask me to be perfect”
Check out Matthew 5:48,
I think we all need to realize that living in perfection is only attained through a living flowing relationship with Christ. Which as you said means loving Him with our whole heart.
dianalovesjesus2 on July 4, 2009 at 11:54 am
Okay…here we go ….walking in mud of daily life!! My neighbor’s dog got out of their yard, and it bit me as I called it back to its yard, and was trying to shut the gate. $$ Doctor’s bills later….the neighbors are avoiding me. Animal control was called, and those requirements have been satisfied. So, here I sit, with my understanding of dog bite liability laws….in the midst of my perceiving my neighbor’s life disintegrating …her husband has left….a boyfriend has moved in…and where are the kids?? Satan is finding ample opportunity to tempt me with bitterness, anger, hatred, and a deep sense of injustice. But, I hear my Lord say, “wait”…so I’ve been staying still…and praying. I hear Him say, “She is sooo lost!!” …and I answer, “Use me, my Lord…here I am, send me.” I understand that my neighbor’s immortal soul needs to be more important to me than recovering the cost of some doctor’s bills. …and I understand that nothing is impossible for the God I love. But I do not have the answer, yet, for how I am to walk this ‘sticky wicket’. Please pray for me, that I discern well the voice of our Lord….I have heard in my heart, that it is most important that my neighbor is left a better person after this encounter with me. …darn!! ….its not all about me!! lol