A Life of Honour

I don’t know about you but sometimes I look at how we behave and act in the church and I don’t see much difference from people who are saved and people who are not saved. 

I go into the work place and there is gossip, slander, absence of love, absence of patience and a lot of dishonour. But if we are honest is sometimes the life of the church much different? 

I mean, we can all act right and “Holy” for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning or on a week day that we attend Grow Groups. But what about the other times when we are with family, at work, alone at home, driving or chatting privately with our partners before going to sleep.

This is a thought that challenges me to the core. So much so I have to take a look at my own life. Do I live a life that honours Christ and other believers?  Honest answer: no not all the time. And if you are being honest too, I think you might come to the same conclusion as me. 

But don’t worry not all hope is lost!! 

Paul says this in 2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NLT)

“May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.”

I love this verse, if we encounter the love and patience of God that comes from Christ, something in our own life will change. 

When you experience the true love and patience that comes from God you know what real love and patience looks like and know how amazing that feels when God shows that to you. 

So much so that sometimes it affects you so much that what you have experienced you want to show to others. It changes our character and the way we connect, speak, react and respond to others. 

Because once you’ve experienced God’s love and patience you know that our human love and patience is floored and rubbish compared to God’s, so much so that you just want to show God’s standard not a rubbish human standard. 

Imagine for a moment what that would be like. Every person that you come in contact with encounters God’s love and patience. And every person you come in contact with, you encounter the same love and patience from God... just Wow! Think how amazing that would be, how life changing that would be for so many!? 

You might be reading that and saying I’ve heard it all before, it’s all well saying it, but living it is another thing altogether...it’s hard! 

If you’re thinking that, you are right! But God can give you the grace and ability to live a life like this if you ask Him. 

So why not try today, why not ask God to encounter you with His love and patience so you can show others that amazing gift you have received!? 

If so, pray with me: 

“Lord lead my heart into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ. Enable me and give me the grace to life a life that shows your love and patience to others. Amen”.