{"id":25209,"date":"2019-03-11T03:30:23","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T10:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=25209"},"modified":"2019-03-07T14:31:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T22:31:53","slug":"march-11-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2019\/03\/11\/march-11-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"March 11, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cYou are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>1 Thessalonians 2:10-12<\/p>\n

Our Behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I wouldn\u2019t say this is true of everybody, but being able to text people has been a tremendous benefit to me. Many are the abuses of texting, to be sure; chief among them is, perhaps, the hermit effect it has on some, causing them to trade face-to-face encounters and relationships for mere words without the benefit of gestures, facial clues, hugs, and smiles.<\/p>\n

But texting gives me a chance to pause and consider my words before I send them hurtling into cyberspace into the heart and mind of the person I am speaking to. This is a good thing because I tend to blurt before thinking. The pause gives me opportunity to check my heart.<\/p>\n

Reactionary behavior\u2014the things we do and say as reactions to what others do and say\u2014is a hard thing to overcome. We know that we should\u00a0<\/strong>love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). But this isn\u2019t usually our first reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can\u2019t treat me that way!\u201d \u201cI have my rights!\u201d \u201cDo I look like a doormat to you?\u201d All these things have entered my mind far too often, and no doubt have escaped my mouth for all the world to hear and judge.<\/p>\n

Paul himself struggled with his fleshly reactions in life, giving an accurate description of how easy it is to do the wrong thing, and how hard it is to do the right thing, in Romans 7. Then, in Romans 8:2, proper understanding is given: \u201cFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s liberating to finally grasp that my behavior should reflect who I am in Christ<\/strong>, not reflect the behavior of others. Perhaps that stated the obvious\u2014but I know I still too often live in reaction-mode. I\u2019m learning that if someone is angry with me, I don\u2019t have to be angry back. If someone is petty, I don\u2019t have to be petty in response. If someone wants to be king of the hill, let \u2018em. If someone has different ideas about how to do things, it\u2019s okay. We can bear with one another, show mercy and kindness, humility and meekness, and above all, we can forgive one another (Colossians 3:12-13). These responses reflect Christ in us.<\/p>\n

\u201cFather, sometimes it seems a tall order to be so well-behaved. But truly, You dwell in us. May our every thought and deed reflect Your presence. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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