HOW DO YOU FEEL? (part-03)

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING A TEACHER?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things
done while in the body, whether good or bad.
(2 Corinthians 5:10)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about the fact that believers will also face a judgment
of how they contributed to the earthly ministry of the Lord, or failed to do so?
Christians will avoid the judgment of those who have not received salvation,
but will still be held accountable for how they lived as a believer and follower
of Jesus Christ.

Some may think,
    “What difference does it make as long as I am not going to hell?”
However, we must remember that anytime judgment is involved, some will
reap unimaginable benefits, but others will miss out on attainable pleasures
due to their own selfishness.

Some may have read about teachers in the book of James and thought,
“I am glad I am not a teacher!”
    Not many of you should become teachers,
    my fellow believers, because you know that
    we who teach will be judged more strictly.
    (James 3:1)

But the truth is, after we have been saved, we all become teachers,
don’t we? The way we live our daily lives, sends a message to those
who are lost. As they observe us, they should be able to get a glimpse
of what God expects, and what He disdains. As an example, someone
might say,
    “It is okay for me to drink a glass of wine,
      after all, didn’t they drink wine during Biblical times?”

The truth is, they did drink wine as reported in the Bible, however
there was very little alcohol content as it was mostly grape juice.
Some drank it because the water impurities caused them to have
stomach problems.

But the more important point is, in today’s world when someone sees
a professing Christian drinking wine, they often interpret that to mean
that God approves the drinking of alcoholic beverages. That is what we
are teaching them!

Some children have become alcoholics as a result of seeing their parents
freely drinking wine. To some, wine can be the first step toward drinking
liquor or taking drugs. At the judgment, we will not receive blessings for
teaching others that drinking alcoholic beverages is okay.

The question we must ask ourselves is,
    “Is there something else available for me to drink
      that quenches my thirst and does not contain alcohol?”
If the answer is “Yes”, then apparently the reason for
drinking alcoholic beverages is to feel the effects of the alcohol.

Those who want to drink will find many ways to justify their actions,
but none of them will hold up in God’s court of law when He judges
us. Again, drinking alcoholic beverages is just an illustration of one
of the ways we can erroneously ‘teach’ others; there are many more
examples we could use.

For instance, we also teach the lost how God expects us to interact with
others. Are we teaching them to be rude and inconsiderate, or are we
teaching them to show love and concern? Are we teaching them to be ‘takers’,
or are we teaching them to be ‘givers’? It has been said that ‘takers’ eat
better, but ‘givers’ sleep better.

What does Jesus tell us about God’s commands?
    “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
      Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
      and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first
      and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love
      your neighbor as yourself.’
      (Matthew 22:36-39)

In these 4 verses, Jesus tells us clearly how our relationships with
others should be, and subtly that our lifestyle is a way of teaching
others about God. How we live as a believer is important, and we
need to always be aware that our actions and decisions are teaching
others; we will be held accountable for what we have said and done.

ACTION:
What are you teaching others throughout your daily life? Are your
actions, words, and attitudes guiding them toward the Lord, or are
they steering them in an opposite direction? We all have options at
our fingertips, so we need to choose wisely. We should not allow our
own self-centeredness to influence what we are teaching others about
the Lord.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking only of myself
and overlooking how my actions can be teaching others the
wrong things about You. Help me to eliminate the things in
my life that cause others to have a wrong opinion of Your
expectations of those who love You. Forgive me for justifying
anything I might say or do when I know it is not within Your
guidelines for followers of Jesus. Show me how to replace the
wrong things in my life with what is pleasing to You, and what
will point others to Your Son, Jesus. Remind me that my life is 
not all about me, but it is about how I teach others about You,
and Your expectations of those who are adopted into Your family.”

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