Over the past couple of weeks, I've been tossing this question around in my mind and I've come up with a few things that SHOULD set us apart from people who don't know him.
- How we treat people who treat us badly or who have no way of ever reciprocating.
- How we use our money
- How we react to bad situations
I'd love to hear your thoughts on these three.
What would you add to the list? take away?
Have you seen anyone really living these out lately?
Good list. Actually, I think this closely parallels the list given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. I might add to it "Where we invest our time/energy" (which is simply an extension of the money concept) and "what we choose to think about": Silent bitterness can go as deep as an angry word and lust is the not-so-subtle daughter of sexual immorality.
ReplyDeleteOf course, these choices are harder to see. They play out in the long run, but they won't help identify a Christian in a crowd.
How we love.
ReplyDeleteThe "world" has developed a seriously distorted picture and definition of love including making it a noun rather than a verb. But on the other hand, Christians can paint a pretty pansy-version of love. Sometimes love must speak a difficult truth in order to "grow up into Him who is the Head".
Ephesians 4:14-16
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
In that love, do we even smell different? :)
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
14 But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ, and spreads through us in every place the scent of knowing Him. 15 For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To some we are a scent of death leading to death, but to others, a scent of life leading to life. And who is competent for this?
I like the thought of leaving a lasting fragrance of Christ and Life when I leave the "room" of someone's life whether I have only a brief moment in time with that person or whether it is a life-long continuously returning to the "room" kind of relationship.
To sum up: does my love show sincere care for each individual, their well-being, and their eternity rather than a superficial appearance of "love"?
That sums up all the things I listed well. I totally agree about the watering down of "love."
ReplyDeleteWhat a challenging thought!...love = speaking truth even when it's unpopular or uncomfortable.
What an awesome picture! We, being the scent of life. To me, that sincere care for the well being of others is not shown by how we treat people who treat us well, but by the treatment of our enemies and the oppressed.
indeed... challenged by that very truth this very night. His grace is sufficient and His strength is perfected in my weakness. <3
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