The Way I Ought To Be

 

There is an expression sometimes used to explain behavior. It goes something like this – “That’s just the way I am” or “That’s just the way they are.” People sure enough do have their “ways”. Everybody is unique, and every person has a certain way they go about living their life. But one thing each individual should keep in mind is that we are not locked into a specific lifestyle. The liar doesn’t have to continue lying just because he has always been a liar. The same could be said for any other sin in one’s life. The fact is that we choose our way of living. Every day we make decisions about who we are and what we believe. Our lifestyle adapts to our ever changing environment all the time. Since such is the case, then we can also change the way we practice our Christianity. We don’t have to be Sunday morning only Christians, even if that is all we’ve ever been. We don’t have to keep from being more involved in the work of the church, just because we have never been involved in the past. We don’t have to lack zeal for evangelism, just because in our former days we have lacked the nerve necessary to save a lost soul.

[Joshua 24:14-24] We can live our life as our relatives before us. We can serve God in the same way they did, with the same zeal, or the lack thereof. We can worship like they worshipped. We can do all in religion, just the way our relatives have; just because that’s the way they did it, regardless of the right or wrong of it all and regardless of what the Bible says. Before Joshua died, he recognized the temptations the people would face, the temptation of falling away from Jehovah and going back to the idols of their ancestors. Jesus said, “He that loves mother or father more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). We can live our life like everyone around us. We can call it peer pressure, social pressure, cultural pressure – but it’s really all the same, the temptation to be like everybody else. The false gods of the world promote fornication, gluttony, drunkenness and all sorts of self-satisfying depravity. The land in which we now dwell in is full of idolatry and covetousness, and there is a great deal of pressure put on Christians to conform and compromise the truth of God’s Word. “…but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 10:37). 

Regardless of what mom or dad believe and do, regardless of what people around us are doing, we can choose to follow Jesus. What we need to do to get started is really very simple. We need to pray earnestly that God will change our hearts and make us aware of our spiritual shortcomings. Then we need to follow up by changing our behavior and making it a habit of doing things we have always wanted to do for Christ. With God’s help, we can change our way of life! We can do things differently than we have ever done them in the past! Peter wrote about the importance of no longer living the rest of our time in the flesh for the sake of sin, but instead, living for the will of god (1 Peter 4:1-3). The point is that God not only has the power to save us from spiritual death; he has the power to change our life for today. That is a very exciting proposition! We don’t have to wait for Jesus to return to be blessed of God. We can be blessed immediately by simply making the choice to live for God today. 

Faithfulness; Commitment; Evangelism; Humility; Kindness – These are ways of life that please God (Ephesians 5:8-14). We must stop saying to ourselves who we are and what we practice is “good enough”. Because of God’s authority as the Creator, the blessings and goodness of his love, and his severity as Judge, may we all declare as Joshua did, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Amen!