Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that we must conduct ourselves in a way worthy of our Faith. "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."
In the Authorized Version that first line is, "Let your conversation be as it be becometh the gospel of Christ." The word from the Latin, 'conversari' is more than conversation. We think of conversation as talking. 'Conversari' means 'to conduct oneself'. The word that Paul used even goes beyond that. The word that he would usually use, 'peripatein', translates "to walk about". The word he uses is 'politeuesthai', meaning "to be a citizen". In his context, citizens of Rome had to behave in a prescribed way that was worthy of being a Roman citizen, no matter where you lived in the Roman empire. What he wants us to do then, as Christians, is to act in a way always befitting a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
If you proclaim yourself a Christian, you must in all ways, at all times, act and talk in a way that is in line with scripture. If people know you are of this Faith, you are being closely watched, by both fellow believers and critics.
Even in your personal life you must do this. In Mark, Jesus talks about a man leaving his home, and gives authority to his servants to mind the house. We can act correctly and do all the things necessary to keep the house in order, or let things slide, thinking that the master of the house will probably not return until a certain time and date, and not act properly until then. Jesus says, "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping".
We must watch. Watch our own behavior, our own thoughts, and watch for Him.
1 comment:
~~My best friend Kelly's response she sent me in an email: "I too pray so often please God let me practice the fruit of the Spirit, let me love others like you love them. Let me know that my JOY is because I am yours! Let there be peace that only the Prince of Peace can cause to happen in my day. Father give me patience for others like you have for me. Let me be kind and good to those I would not. Help me to be faithful to you Father, to secrets that have been told to me, to my work, my friends, my family. Where I probably fail the most give me self-control in my speech, my eating, my thoughts. Then with you Holy Spirit the law has no power."
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