Your Life is Your Example to Others

Your Life is Your Example to Others

by David Brenneman 

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1 NASB 

It's interesting that many, if not most, people try to split their lives.  They try to be a certain way around certain people in certain situations then change when circumstances change. 

The life of a Believer is to be a 24/7 365 life.  You aren't to cease being who you are in Christ Jesus just because you clocked into work. You aren't to cease being who you are in Christ Jesus when you are on your phone, tablet or computer.  You aren't supposed to cease being a light in this dark world. 

It is a very sad thing to me that it's mostly Christians who give Christianity a bad name.   

This chapter in 2 Timothy 3 is about people IN the Church:

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." NASB.

Are you showing these attributes?

Are you filling your time, using your energy, dwelling on and or participating in things that bring out these things in your life?

Can your life be used against you in a court as being a Christ follower?  Would there be enough evidence to convict?

Your choice of music matters. 

Your choice of movies matters. 

Your choice of entertainment as a whole matters. 

You who are in Christ Jesus are never off the hook in representing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  You represent Jesus all the time. 

You are in the body of Christ for a reason. 

You have a function, a job, to be doing with all your being for the One who saved you. 

When you look at your Facebook page...is it God honoring?  I know there has been times when mine isn't always.  Do you rage about useless things in light of eternity that really only makes YOU look like an angry hot-headed person?  

Again I have worked with, and do work with, people who's work ethic suffers greatly because they essentially told Jesus to stay in the car. They are rude, inconsiderate, people who aren't being a light in the workplace. 

They are indeed under high stress because they have essentially told Jesus they don't need His help.  They got this.  

In my work experience EVERY time I prayed going into situations and kept Jesus with me...the stressful situation goes away. 

EVERY time I tried handling it alone...I became a different person.  Anger and rage often took over. 

It's why Colossians 3:23-24 mean so much to me.  It's been my work ethic for a very long time. 

In Proverbs we're told to Trust in the Lord with all our heart, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will make our paths, our life, straight. 

When you fight the Spirit for control of you, you will be someone you are not. 

You will become self-centered. You will start to become those people that Paul warned Timothy about who would be IN the Church. 

The challenge to you is to see what kind of Makeover you need.  What needs to go in order to honor Jesus more?  What do you need to do differently?  If a non-believer would see your life, would it draw them to Jesus or would they not give you a second glance?   Would your words and behavior show you are a Christian or that you're no different than the rest of the world?  Read your Bible...no where in it is "its just in fun! I didn't mean it!" is found.  No where in it will you find that there's an acceptable time or place to set aside holiness.  We are called to be Holy as God is Holy.  We don't have a down time from living a life in Christ.  We don't go through this life after coming to Christ for salvation to go off and continue doing our own thing.  Out of a grateful heart we're to live lives that honor what Jesus did to save us. 

What has got to go from your life that will honor Jesus when it leaves?

What has to change so that the Light of Jesus stays shining in you?