1 John 2:4-6
If someone claims, “I know him well!”
but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life
doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person
in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re
in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same
kind of life Jesus lived.
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 have a couple of Facebook
friends who have to be the most delightful, uplifting Christian
witnesses on social media. They find the blessings and the “good” in
every day. They post encouraging scriptures and phrases. They talk
about what a joy it is to go to work (yes, go.to.work!) and to
attend worship services at their churches. Tracy (my cousins’ wife) and
Donna (a former schoolmate) make Facebook fun…and they demonstrate
beautifully that they know God well!
I could name several Facebook friends who claim
to know God well…but their posts suggest otherwise. They take
pock-shots at those of opposing political views, especially our
President; people who are gay, bisexual or transgender; and even those
who may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer (think People of
Walmart!). It saddens me to see friends post political rants and call
others by ugly or derogatory names alongside their posts of prayers and
scripture verses, invitations for others to join them in worship at
their church, and those of the “share if you love Jesus” variety.
If
we would each stop and think for just a minute about what this says to
others – particularly those who are not Christians – I would hope that
we would stop this immediately, open our Bibles, and read God’s
commandments until they were imprinted forever on our brains and our
hearts. I am not saying that you cannot stand up for your candidate or
your beliefs about social issues – or that we don’t all need to snicker
at the occasional joke or outrageous picture…but we do have to check how we are doing this and what our statements imply.
We
cannot put a bumper sticker on our car that says “Honk if you love
Jesus” – or invites people to worship with us at our local church – and
then demonstrate road rage or cut someone off for a parking spot. We
cannot fill the walls of our houses with crosses and scriptures or wear
religious-themed clothing and jewelry, then yell and scream (or curse!)
at the referees during a local sporting event. We also should not get
on Facebook and Twitter and talk about how bad the refs were and what
idiotic calls they made!
If we trust God for all things and do
our dead-level best to live for Him, we cannot get on social media and
bash our exes, criticize our kids’ teachers, or make fun of others. We
also cannot make ourselves out to be better than the next person and
wave the flag of our Christian faith as justification.
We need to get over ourselves and keep the main thing the main thing!
We need to make sure that our lives match our words…that we are making a
difference for Jesus rather than making a point that suits our
agendas. We need to seek God’s mature love and abide in Him – always
and in all ways! And we need to start now. I’m in…are you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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