the basic message #E2
Ephesians 4:30-32
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
I see quite a few “Jesus fish” on the backs of cars on the road these days. While I admire folks that publicly announce their Christianity, there’s another side to the issue. Whenever we have a “Jesus fish”, or a bumper sticker, or a cross lapel pin, we’re advertising for our boss. Since he’s a loving and compassionate boss, we should try our best to represent him. If someone is tailgating me on the highway and I later see a Jesus fish on the back of their car, it bugs me. If I hear a man telling an inappropriate joke while wearing a cross lapel pin, it bugs me. While none of us is perfect, we need to realize the awesome responsibility we have in representing the kingdom.
Ephesians 5:3-4
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
As you all know, I got most of your email addresses by sorting through AOL user profiles using the search word “Jesus”. I have scanned over thousands of AOL profiles for Christians. Many have scripture quoted, some have a mini-testimonial, and many have beautiful quotations written by the person themselves. Some however, have, as Paul puts it, “foolish talk” or “coarse joking”. Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky, but having a Christian profile that is transmitted world-wide is something we should take seriously.
Proverbs 22:1
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Are you a person of good reputation? Most of us think we are reputable, but how often do we get a true reflection of our standing in our community? Little things, like being on time, seem to escape our grasp of reputation building. What does being on time have to do with a good reputation? We all have things that come up to make us late for meeting someone. Traffic, car trouble, an unexpected phone call- many good reasons can occur, but some folks are habitually late. Christians should be a cut-above the rest of the world. We should come through on our promises, or have a darned good reason why we didn’t.