Thursday: Christian Behavior
Beyond the family, the Christian has other social and professional involvements – a
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clear recognition of the biblical view that Christians are in the world but not of the world (John 17:14-18). Consider the following three areas of daily life and discuss the Christian’s responsibilities in regard to lifestyle and behavior:
1. Employer/Employee Relations (James 5:4-6, Eph. 6:5-9). Apart from regarding employees as equals in Christ, the Christian employer must be guided by the principle that adequate work requires adequate compensation. On the other hand, Christian workers also ought to resist the temptation to be slothful at work. “Parents cannot commit a greater sin than to allow their children to have nothing to do. The children soon learn to love idleness, and they grow up shiftless, useless men and women. When they are old enough to earn their living, and find employment, they work in a lazy, droning way, yet expect to be paid as much as if they were faithful.” – Ellen G. White, Christ Object Lessons, p. 345.
2. Civic Duties (Rom. 13:1-7). The Christian places God first in all things and evaluates all actions and responsibilities from this perspective. For this reason the Christian will, for example, oppose discrimination in any form, even if it is officially sanctioned. At the same time, “loyalty to God first does not entitle anyone to become autonomous and create social disharmony or chaos. Christians pay taxes, participate in civic duties, respect traffic laws and property regulations, and cooperate with civil authorities in curbing or controlling crime and violence.” – Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology (Maryland: Review and Herald® Publishing Association, 2000), p. 701.
3. Social Responsibility (Isa. 61:1-3, Matt. 25:31-46). Discuss the following statement in the light of the passages above: “The Christian can exercise his calling to seek the kingdom of God if, motivated by love of neighbor, he carries on his work in the moral communities of family and economic, national, and political life. . . . Only by engaging in civic work for the sake of the common good, by faithfulness in one’s social calling, is it possible to be true to the example of Christ.” – H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture (HarperCollins Publishers, 1996), p. 97.
In your work and social interactions, are people able to detect your Christian values? Be honest with yourself (no matter how painful that might be!). Which aspects of your life, if any, draw people to your faith? What does your answer tell you about the way in which you live?
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If only people were all like that then the work place would harmonious and more productful!
To be a successful Christian is to surrender daily to God Ephesians 6:11. In so doing, we will be prepared for Satan's continued attacks. The Christian will be given power, Philippians 4:13, to be obedient to the 2 Greatest Commandments, Matthew 22:37-40. This in turn will enable the Christian to produce the "fruits of the spirit" Galatians 5:22-23 which will reflect Jesus in in our lifestyle. Dare to be a Daniel!
As Christians in everything we do we have to do it in a Christlike manner especially when you might be the only Christian on the job that's when everything about you should preach Christ.
Our behavior as Christian is very important in this world, so that we should make a difference between the Christian and non-Christian.
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it (Pro 22:6 NKJV). We often apply this text spiritually as a matter of belief but I can tell you its application goes much further than that.
I was raised in a home where parental guidance was totally lacking; where I was allowed to do whatever I wanted and let me tell you that after the sapling is bent and habits are formed it is very difficult to undo. Even in my retirement years I constantly battle laziness and the desire to go the easy way rather than applying effort to get the job done right. While the hands off approach is looked upon with favor by the world which tends to frown on the whole concept of discipline I believe Solomon was right, “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly” (Pro 13:24 NKJV). I am not talking about abuse here. I know that there are parents out there who don’t know where the middle of the road is and will always go to extremes; either to doing everything or doing nothing.
In the USA a parent has almost become a bystander committing all the necessary discipline to the state in one way or another. Because of it we have the highest percentage of our population in prison than any other country in the world. We have lost our desire for self control and feel that mediocre work is acceptable. There is also an ever growing percentage of foreign students in our universities and colleges because there is a growing lack of desire in this country to work for something better – as a country we have become lazy with a desire for more and more entertainment where instant gratification is the byword.
As I look back on my life and the little that I have accomplished I can see why Solomon’s counsel is true, “Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell” (Pro 23:13-14 NKJV). So if we are to have our sons and daughters behave like a Christian that stands out in a world gone mad, then we as parents are going to have expend a good amount of time and effort in molding them into the image of God. But before we can do that we need to be there ourselves.
Wow, so profound, So true
I thank God for His mercy, seen in your testimony. My parents were not as hands off as yours seem to have been, but looking back I can identify with your comments. But God's grace is sufficient to enable us to overcome any tendency to evil. Praise the Lord!
God should be the centre of our decisions when it comes to relationships.