WE CAN REPRESENT AND SERVE CHRIST BY LIVING A CONSISTENT LIFE

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“How then can they call on Him in whom they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without someone preaching to them?”
(Romans 10:14)

MEDITATION:
We are either a helper or a hurter when it comes to reaching
the world for Christ. Someone said,
    “The greatest argument for Christ and the greatest
      argument against Christ is the life of a Christian”.

When we were saved, our life and life goals changed. Instead of
being focused on ourselves and our own desires, we discovered
the importance of replacing selfishness with selflessness. As a
result, we have become more than ‘just members’ of God’s family,
we are now ‘servants’ with a desire to participate in His earthly
ministry. We have a strong yearning to see others come to know
Christ.

Whether we like it or not, the world is watching our
“Sunday church” behavior and wondering how it
compares to our “Monday work” behavior, and our
“Saturday recreational” behavior, and our “at home family”
behavior. If we do not have a consistent “Sunday church”
behavior that others can observe, then we have to wonder
about the depth and sincerity of our love for the Lord.

If we ‘put on a front’ for others when we are at church, but are
quite the opposite away from the church, then we are hurting
the cause of the Lord. Although it may sound harsh, in actuality
we are living a hypocritical life, and the scriptures have a lot to
say about hypocrites.

    “When you give to the needy, do not announce it with
      trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and
      on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you,
      they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:2)

    “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they
      love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the
      street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you,
      they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5)

    “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take
      the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see
      the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the
      plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to
      remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:42)

    “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
      hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of
      heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not
      enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying
      to.” (Matthew 23:13)

    “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
      hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,
      but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
      (Matthew 23:25)

    “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
      hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which
      look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are
      full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”
      (Matthew 23:27)

    “He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with
      the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing
      of teeth.” (Matthew 24:51)

ACTION:
Have you considered the importance of living a consistent Christian
lifestyle as a representative of Christ and a participant in His earthly
ministry? Some people have said,
    “I would love to serve the Lord,
      but I have not discovered my spiritual gift,
      nor have I been led in a particular direction,
      so I don’t know what I can do for His kingdom.”

Every believer can be a ‘helper’ by living a consistent life of faith
whether in church, at work, or anywhere else. We are warned
about ‘putting on a front’ for others.
    “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in
      front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you
      will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
      (Matthew 6:1)

Do you treat others the same way you would like to be treated?
    So in everything, do to others what you would
    have them do to you, for this sums up the Law
    and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Do you consider the importance of others who were also created by God?
    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
    Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
    not looking to your own interests but each of you
    to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

We have opportunities on a daily basis to serve the Lord, but we
have to be proactive in making changes in order to be successful.
And when we do, we can have a positive impact on our friends,
our neighbors, and our own family members. Imagine the joy of
hearing someone say,
    “I’ve noticed a change in you!” or,
    “Because of the life I observed in you, I have been saved!”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I pray that You will help me to live
a more consistent life as a Christian. Show me what
changes I need to make in order to be a better example
of a follower of Jesus, and become a participant of Your
earthly ministry. Thank You for those who had an
influence on my own life that resulted in my salvation.”

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