Matthew 7:6
“Don’t be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you’re only being cute and inviting sacrilege."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I saw this video on Facebook recently that was some guy doing dances that were supposed to depict stories in the Bible. This was promoted as a good five-minute “opener” for a church service, because so many churches run a video now as a “warm-up” to get people in a “worshipful” mood. And I’ve never had a problem with this concept.
But when I read today’s scripture, I did have to stop and think about some of the things we do - in the name of Jesus - and some of the slogans we wear on our clothing and accessories. It did cause me to ask…”Are we being respectful and reverent toward our sacred, holy relationship with God? Or are there times when we truly are rather flip and silly? Do we stop to consider what our appearance and actions says to others about an intimate relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?”
John 13:35 says…”This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” It’s okay to wear a (What Would Jesus Do?) WWJD bracelet or a t-shirt that says, “Got Jesus?” There is nothing wrong with a cute or thought-provoking video to signal that worship is about to begin. But make sure that you are treating your faith with the reverence and respect that your relationship with God deserves – and that when you wear something professing your relationship with Jesus, your actions line up with the slogan.
Demonstrate a deep and sincere love and concern for one another. Smile, and offer others a welcoming spirit. Let your love for Jesus shine through everything you do and engulf those whom you encounter like a warm hug. Take your relationship with Him seriously…and make sure that your actions reinforce this.
We find it so easy to get caught up in flash and dazzle. Everything these days has a tag line or a catch phrase. If things don’t sparkle and shine and perform a zillion operations, we tend to ignore them. Don’t reduce your relationship with Jesus in this manner. Christian faith is not always pretty…sometimes it can be downright messy. But the simplicity of inviting Jesus to be LORD of your life and receiving His amazing gift of salvation needs no “bells and whistles”. This holy relationship doesn’t need a t-shirt or a song and dance. All that is required is mutual love, respect and reverence.
What do your words and actions tell others about you? Can they recognize you as Christ’s disciple?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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