My friend was
sharing that a customer who comes in the store where she works, on April Fool’s
Day gives out lollipops to all the staff that go well beyond decency! She refuses to even accept the “gift”
anymore, but on the first occasion while not keeping it, accepted it and then
gave it to "Edna," another co-worker. The
co-worker accepted the “gift” and chided her friend for not having a sense of
humor. “I didn’t want it,” she said
flatly. “It’s totally
disrespectful!
Looking at me she added “And I
don’t understand. Edna is supposed to be
a Christian!”
Her
comments made me stop and consider behaviors that, we as Christians, project
that aren’t Christian like at all! Our
identity in Christ should set us apart and enable us to face temptation and the
influence of sin. I am in agreement with
my friend that when something is offensive, indecent or disrespectful, then it
can’t be Christ like!
When we
proclaim Christ as our Savior aren’t we telling the world we choose to be set
apart? Aren’t we choosing to be enslaved
to Christ the Creator, rather than Satan the destroyer? Isn’t what we do and say a reflection of that
belief?
There’s a
church sign near me that displays the following, “Words are the mirror to the
heart.” That’s true since our words are
our thoughts and our thoughts come from within our heart. And then our thoughts and words are
transferred into actions.
I heard once who and how you are at home, out
of public view, is really who you are.
That’s a little intimidating since I think of my home as my sanctuary
where I can be who I am without any issue.
Yet, I wonder about that rationale.
Even when others can’t see my bad behavior, Christ still can! Shouldn’t any bad behavior immediately
convict me of sin? ……But then…..I suppose that would depend on your definition
of bad behavior! What one considers bad
behavior isn’t bad at all to another; kind of like the obscene lollipop my
friend described earlier. Apparently,
her chiding friend, although Christian, didn’t see it as sinful.
A dear friend who would never think of
swearing in public, especially in front of other Christians, doesn’t think
twice about it when in her home. Another
friend admitted suffering from “road rage” and yelling, shouting and gesturing
at other drivers his anger when he’s been cut off or sees bad driving. Still another is quick to point out she
cleverly removes as many “little sugars and creamers” she can when purchasing a
cup of coffee at a store or restaurant and still another is quick to spit out a
sharp retort when annoyed, “if it’s the right person!”
How do we decide what is
sinful? The Bible is the first place to
look and there is plenty of scripture that makes it clear what is acceptable
and what is not. Another way is prayer and asking honestly if Christ were here,
would I share that “behavior” in front of Him or with Him? Or, would I more likely tend to hide those
things that I’m not sure about?
A good rule of thumb is, if you
have to hide it at all from anyone, there’s an excellent chance it’s unacceptable. So I challenge you to consider your
behavior. Would you act the same way if
Jesus were in the room? The truth is…… He is……
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