1 Peter 3:10-12
“Do you really love life?
Do you want to be happy?
Then stop saying cruel things
and quit telling lies.
Give up your evil ways
and do right,
as you find and follow
the road that leads
The Lord watches over
everyone who obeys him,
and he listens
to their prayers.
But he opposes everyone
who does evil.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Greg
and Timothy were building a “village” out of wooden blocks. Timothy
made some characters out of Legos® that he dubbed “the evil gang.” The
village had several “buildings” created with stacked blocks, and Greg
asked Timothy, “Are you planning on those evil men knocking over these
houses?” Timothy assured him that this was NOT going to happen…that
“These men are just here for a visit.”
Then a building
accidentally fell, and as Greg reached to get it, Timothy said, “Oh,
that’s what ‘we’ were about to do!” Greg looked at Timothy with a
raised eyebrow, and Timothy said, “Oh, we LIED! Hehehe!” And he made
angry, evil voices for the characters. Then he started to laugh and
say, “Oh, my bad!” to indicate that he didn’t mean any harm. It was all
a fun game between a boy and his uncle.
But as I watched this
unfold and listened, I thought about how we act in “real life.” Many of
us “play nice” and pretend to be kind and friendly…but we would just as
soon “mow down” the other guy as look at him. There is emptiness in our
hearts and minds that we try to fill by building ourselves up – often
at the expense of others. We lie, cheat, steal, and tear people
down…and then we often pretend that this was not our intention at all!
Sometimes, we try to brush it all away with a “My bad!” justification.
Sadly, there are also times when we stand by our vicious words and
actions.
Most of us want people to think we are “a nice guy.” If
they only knew that sometimes, our “evil twin” has a way of appearing!
Some people may even come to think of us as a person who is always
negative, angry or disgruntled…or simply a “grump.” Others may think of
us as an out-and-out bully…and maybe some of us are indeed!
We
must understand that our words, actions, and demeanor matter. We have
to make every effort to obey God…to seek His will and operate within His
guidelines. We have to stop and think about what we say and do –
BEFORE it happens. Check your attitude in a “virtual mirror” and make
sure that you are representing God and His goodness. We all know
someone whose very name makes us groan…the thought of them conjures up a
negative attitude - or unloving (if not evil) behavior. Don’t be one
of these people!
Will this be the day that you check your own
heart and mind for an “evil gang” mentality and quit “knocking over”
others? Are you ready to say “NO!” to the devil and His methods - and
live abundantly in the will of God? When others look at you, WHO do
they see…and how will you be remembered?
Fill your heart with
God’s goodness. Work hard to be a positive, pleasant, Spirit-filled
disciple who represents the very best that God offers all of us. You
will be amazed at how this affects every aspect of your life…and the
lives of those around you. I’m betting that God will pour out His favor
on you in a new, more plentiful way, as well. It’s certainly worth a
shot…isn’t it? What are we waiting for?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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