Christian Living

by Jonathan Bennett

Living in 21st century America provides many luxuries and conveniences but, in many
aspects, robs of what is truly good and right in the eyes of God. It is easy to look around and see
those who are living lives that provide a comfortable bank account, a career that has a job title that
is recognized as prestigious or a home that is the epitome of what everyone desires. When it comes
to attending Bible classes and worship services it is easy to measure the strength, and faithfulness,
of those in attendance by how many times they are in the building when the doors are open. There’s
the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” which is what happens, more frequently than it
ought, when it comes to identifying others. In 1 Samuel 16:6-7 Samuel was sent to anoint the new
king of Israel but in doing so he learned that God’s measure of a person is different than man’s
measure. Jehovah God measures each individual depending on where their heart is and not where
their physical attributes are. It is imperative to realize that how one interacts physically is an
indicator of where the heart is, but God reads the hearts of men, which can be hidden from those
in the world. This is seen in Matthew 23:25-28, where Jesus is pronouncing a series of woes against
the scribes and Pharisees and refers to them as whitewashed tombs. This is not a compliment but
rather a direct hit to the hypocritical, sidestepping behavior that was being exhibited by them in
that they were preaching one thing but behaving in an entirely manner. When visiting a cemetery,
or graveyard, everything on the surface is nice and clean and appealing to the eye to visit the resting
location of those who have crossed from time to eternity, but if the tombs were to be opened there
would be much decay and unpleasant sights beheld. This is what Jesus is referring to in their hearts
that everything looks appealing on the outside but there is spiritual death, decay, and rot in their
hearts and souls which is not appealing to the Lord.

Our identity needs to be absolute in that we are practicing New Testament Christianity 24/7
and our lives filled with the fruit of the Spirit, as seen in Galatians 5:22-23. Filling our lives with
these attributes is filling our lives with the light of our Lord and Master, as seen in 1 John 1:7. This
gives us the opportunity to receive forgiveness of our wrongdoings and maintain our identity as
Christians. We need to be looking at passages such as Proverbs 31, Titus 2, Ephesians 5, Colossians
3, and many other passages that give explicit details on how women ought to behave and conduct
themselves as Christians, wives and mothers. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 give the qualifications
necessary for a man to serve as an elder, which happens to also be all of the attributes of a faithful
Christian man with the exception of desiring the position of an elder (of course if a man is single,
and has no children, then adjust list accordingly).

It ought to be the goal of parents to raise sons to aspire to serve as elders and to raise
daughters to aspire to be godly wives and encourage their husbands to aspire to serve in leadership
roles in the church. When children are raised in godly homes and taught it is admirable to desire
leadership roles in the church, much change will begin to happen. It may not be immediate but
societal issues will begin to disappear when godliness is placed back in culture and society due to
the lack of desire to do that which is spiritually harmful. Yes, there are those who will say it is
“politically incorrect” to teach godliness, but which will you choose, “political correctness” or
eternal life? Only one is able to be possessed.

When the world looks at you, do they see the light of the Lord being reflected, or do they see
someone who only warms the pew Sunday and Wednesday? The choice is yours but remember
what Jesus told the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:15-16 regarding a lukewarm status
spiritually, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or
hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth…”
Do not be caught in this state come the day of judgement. Live so that on the Judgement Day
you hear, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).