“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2;NLT)
How hard is it today to stand out from the crowd? How hard is it to be different from the world? Are you a reflection of Christ? Does your behavior influence others to follow Him? I know that reflecting Christ can be and is a daily challenge for me. I have to study His Word to guide my steps and actions continually.
Lot and his family lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, a wicked city. (Genesis 19:1-29). Lot was a godly man in a wicked place. I am sure it was difficult. Living there did not make his life better or the lives of his family better. When the angels came to rescue Lot and his family from the city before it was destroyed, Lot’s witness was not strong enough to influence his daughter’s fiancés to leave with them. They thought that Lot was joking!
How much of your life reflects Christ that it can influence the people around you to live for Christ? To be an influence, you do not have to preach fire and brimstone condemning people to hell if they do not believe in God. Stand for what is right. Commit to treating others with the love of God so that they may know Him. Speak about what God has done in your life.
God calls Christians to be different. “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. . . .” (Titus 2:12-15;NLT)
Living like Jesus can be hard, but living for Jesus with the world, watching can be just as hard. He has called us to go into the world and be witnesses for Him. Our witness is not only our speech but also our actions. People are watching how we live and react to situations.
Do you struggle with being a witness to the people in your life? Does our life reflect Jesus in such a way that people’s lives are influenced for the better?
Does your light shine at the appropriate hour(every hour)? Living for Christ is something I aim to do constantly. It is sometimes so hard to be Christ-like when people mistreat me or others I know.
GOD has tested me over and over again, the past 10 months have been a complete struggle for me with this exact task. The positive in this situation, I recognized it at times as growth and a test that I needed. Sadly to say over and over I failed the test. I have prayed many times about this particular situation and I know for sure the situation will rise again and I pray I am ready to conquer this task over and over again until it is no longer a issue.
Praying for you friend.
I pray often that The Holy Spirit will guide me each day, to be a beacon of light for someone who might not know who Jesus is. I don’t want my actions to cause someone to doubt or question who He is. Living like Jesus is hard, but the Holy Spirit is with us continually if we invite Him in.
The Holy Spirit definitely has a major part in our lives as we try to live like Jesus. Amen.