Nothing Else

 

1/31/2021

1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

The things we concentrate on as human beings are oftentimes very superficial. We are taught, even sometimes programmed, to believe that beauty and wealth are to be admired and exalted. We respect and hold in high esteem powerful or famous individuals. We give people with these traits public platforms from which to lure or convince others to their way of thinking about political or social areas. For some reason, we let them hold sway over us and we trust them. How is that working out for us so far? 

We know, as believers, that our focus should be on Jesus and not the things of this world, yet we too can be enticed by these individuals. We listen to the talking heads on the news, and let them sway us into negativity and judgement through righteous indignation. Many of us fall into these traps, I am sad to say, very easily. What does that do to our witness for Christ? If I am being vocal or impassioned about a topic on social media by parroting what I am consuming from any source other than God's Word, I run a very strong risk of being hurtful and sounding hateful. This may not be my intention at all, but it is certainly something the evil one can use to further the negative narrative about Christianity. 

God absolutely calls us to be discerning and stand up against sin and oppression, but we must do so in the light of His mercy, grace, and love. We must show those around us that Satan is the deceiver and sin is a destroyer, but we must do so with the same compassion that Jesus used with those around Him. We must be heard in this broken and sinful world, always remembering to not be sucked into the falsehood of smug sanctimony. We must be ready to decrease ourselves and have Christ increase in us, so that we can be led by Him alone. We must become last and make Him first in our lives. We must act in love and truth, seeking to become humble servants of Jesus to make a lasting difference in this world. There is nothing else.