How many of you can say that you are a Christian, and that your friends would agree completely with that statement from only seeing your actions? From my experience, that number is too small. So often I hear this, and it is usually followed by the question, "What is it suppose to look like?" As always, the Bible has every answer. It tells us of 3 forms, which all come under one law. The first deals with humility, the second is sharing, and the third is service.
First, what does it mean to be humble? The dictionary defines it as, A lowering of pride, to lower the rank, and expressing a sense of selflessness, meekness, modesty, etc. That definition, describes exactly what it means to be humble in the eyes of God. In order to show God in your life you need to humble yourself before God. Fore James 4:6-7 says:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If you humble yourself before God and resist the devil, which gets easier to do if you humble yourself, then you throw away your pride. Now throwing away your pride and humbling yourself means more than you might think. It means you submit all control of everything in your life to God. Your health, your family, your friends, your things, your money, your health, everything! And, that you no longer hold onto the image you have made for yourself. The image that those who know you and that those who don't see. Only in this way can you truly do what God asks you to do. Because if you hold onto that pride, it will stir up doubt, and worry in the face of what He will ask of you.
This is shown in 2 Samuel 6. When King David is moving the Tabernacle from Obed-Edom's house, where it was placed on it's way to the City of David. It says in 2 Samuel 6:12-23 says:
Now King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the Ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrifice the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel-I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
Before I speak on what was just read, the linen ephod, that the king of the greatest nation at the time wore, was a scrap of clothing. Like that of a loin cloth. David wore a scrap of clothing and danced in front of his entire nation, because he felt that it was what God wanted of him at that moment. Every person had their thoughts of him. And it wasn't just Michal who thought of David in that manner, many people thought in the same way. Others laughed, or cursed, or thought ill of him in some manner. But he did not care. He said proudly that he would become even more undignified for God. When you have humility, you do not care about what others think. If God wants you to do it, you do it without a second thought. So, first you must have humility, so that you may do whatever work God asks you to do without a second thought on what others have to say. That means to follow the way of life set for you when you are at church, at home, and especially around your friends. Let them see that you serve God and that despite thier words of mockery and cursing, you heed no attention and are focused only on what God wants you to do.
Next is the second, which is on the sharing of God with others. In Acts chapter 13 Paul is in Pisidian Antioch speaking to the people there. Acts 13:26-52 says:
"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
"We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
"'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'
The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:
"'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'
So it is stated elsewhere:
"'You will not let your Holy One see decay.'
"For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
"'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'"
As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
On the next Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
"'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Yes that was a big piece of Scripture, and so is the meaning behind it. Paul and Barnabas Shared God's Word with the people in Pisidian Antioch. Not afraid of what others would say or think of them, or even what they might do to them. At this time, just like when Paul was still a persecuter of the faith he now proclaimed, they could have hunted him down and tried to kill him if they wanted to. But, still he went, for it was what God wanted them to do. There were many who listened to what they had to say, and there were also people who cursed them and spoke against them. In the same way, God asks us to tell others about Jesus Christ, no matter what. There will be people who listen to what you have to say, and there will be people who will persecute you for your faith. But, if you humble yourself, and trust God with everything, God will take care of you. He will make the persecution seem minor in the wake of His great love for you, as you follow His instructions.
I shared on telling others about God in my post on Discipleship. Telling others about God is a very great way of showing others God in your life, and Loving others. But, before I get into Love we need to look at the third form of showing God in your life. It is through service. James 2:14-19 says:
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical need, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.
And Provierbs 16:3 says:
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
If you humble yourself and do what God says, you will absolutely go into some form of serving others. And when you serve them for God and not self gain, they will see that the Lord is working in you. That you are a servant of God, and full of His Love and Joy. If you are humble in the Lord, then you are committing what you are doing to the Lord, because you are doing what He is asking you to do without excuse or reward. If you are doing something for God, it will complete the task it was planned to do. Even though it might not seem like it to you, God is timeless and knows all that will happen.
These three forms of showing God in your life all come together in 1 Commandment, which is called the Greatest Commandment. Luke 10:25-27 says:
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to Jesus. 'Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
If you think about it, if you obey this Commandment to its fullest you end up showing God in your life. If you love God with everything you have, then you would gladly do whatever He asks you to do, regardless of what others think and do to you for it. All you care about is God, and what He wants. And if you love others as well, then you tell them of God. For like I have said before, "If you truly love a person, then you would tell them of the one who would give them eternal life." And you would also serve them and help them in any way you can.
If you were to only follow this Commandment for the rest of your life, you would do everything God wants you to do in life. However, it is also the most broken Commandment. For every time you sin, you break this Commandment. For sin is not what God wants from you. Everyone has broken the most important Commandment God gave us, and is therefore worthy of only death. But God sent His Son to earth to die on the cross a guiltless death to save us. But do not let that be an excuse to not obey this Commandment. Instead, let it be the reason for you to strive for it. Let God's Love and Greatness be revealed to all around you, through you.
Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen
