Over the past two years, we’ve seen an increase in civil unrest and not-so-civil discourse in these divided, United States. This is not the way God has called us to live as Christians. Romans 12:2 (NLT) reads, Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Perhaps we can agree however, that as long as there are two people on planet earth, there is the possibility of disagreement on a variety of subjects. Scripture addresses this too in Proverbs 18:2 (NLT) Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. Social media platforms do not care about encouraging Christian habits or helping us understand one another. They do not care about truth, lies or how my family gets along with your family. Make no mistake, they do what they do for a profit, not for the betterment of humanity. Recently, I have been considering how to limit my interaction with these platforms in order to help form a more perfect and kinder union. I’ll let you know what I’ve come up with as I pray about this and seek God’s guidance. There has to be a better way to communicate.
As I pour over the scripture referenced in the first paragraph, I do want to be continually transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside me. How about you? Becoming good, pleasing and perfect in the eyes of God, means I can be a greater blessing to the sisters and brothers I live with here while I’m preparing to live with God in Heaven. A great place to start in figuring out how to live out Christian kindness is found in Romans 12:3 (NLT)Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
I invite you to join me in this prayer; Heavenly Father, thank you for being the King of Creation. You are full of wonder and plans for me and I am grateful for those plans. Please, Holy Spirit, help me to know what parts of me I need to change. How can I be a giver of Christian kindness and continue to be transformed into a new person by changing the way I think? I want to honor God in everything I say and do. I want my ways to be good, pleasing and perfect before God. Teach me what things I should set aside and what I things I should pursue in order to see this transformation take place. And it is in the name above all names, Jesus Christ, that I pray this prayer today. Amen.
God bless you and keep you. Let the transformation begin or continue.
Pastor Jeff