Be True to Christ not the World

Image Detail {Picture from bible study blog site}

Ephesians 4:17-19 “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.”

Paul discusses with us the unity and maturity of Christ followers which God has brought into existence through the death of Christ. He is also showing that purity is essential among those who belong to him. We should no longer think like Gentiles, useless and meaningless. The darkened their understanding and hardened their hearts with moral unresponsiveness to God. The Gentiles have given themselves over to a sinful way of life and God does not desire that way of life for us. I am convicted here to guard not only my own heart from being hardened and guard my thoughts of this world but also my innocent children. I must start now while they are young and innocent, planting roots of Love, Tenderness, Forgiveness, Mercy. Teaching them the ways of God not the ways of the world. Protecting their hearts from being hardened and filling their minds with words of Love and Jesus.

We must be faithful to identify evil behavior in ourselves and ask God to fill us with attitudes that are pleasing to him. What might need to change so our households are kinder, more tender-hearted, more forgiving? I am left with these questions today not to discourage and finding faults but to encourage us and be more intentional with our families. Creating a God driven and God based legacy teaching the world of Christ to others.

I have to remind myself daily that I don’t have to do what the rest of the world is doing.