“…[A]re ye not carnal. and walk as men?”  (1 Corinthians 3)

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in in [H]im…”                                                                                                                                      (Colossians 2:6)

“He that saith he abideth in [Christ] ought himself also so to walk, even as [Christ] walked.”  (1 John 2:6)

 

Christ-ian Reader, This may be my last post for some time, therefore we will seek to provide you with something to remember.

As a pastor, I am required to meddle, snoop, or sniff around those I minister to.  This is what a shepherd does with the flock he has been given the responsibility for.  When a preacher begins to minister to persons, those person are his responsibility and he must take that seriously and the flock seriously.  Sometimes, the shepherd will us his staff to draw a sheep towards him and then use his rod to lift the wool and look underneath. The shepherd does this in order to inspect the skin under the wool.  In other words, the sheep may look great on the outside, but underneath there may be sores, scabs, bites, injuries, insects, etc. “Thy rod and they staff, they comfort me…”

One of the responsibilities of a minister is to see to those whom God has given him, and to help them to their predestinated end, which is Christ-likeness. You, Christ-ian reader, are to become more and more like Christ in your ways, thinkings, will, actions, deeds, and feelings, PERIOD, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”  My question to you, Christ-ian reader, is this, “How do you differ, specifically, from a person that is moral, ethical, or even a-theist?”

I have known a-theists and lost person far mor moral and ethical than ssome Christ-ians.  I’ve said it before, I worked for an a-theist (who is now a believer) who was the best man I ever worked for. He was extremely ethical, moral, by human standard, a very, very, good man that treated me, others, and clients very well. I could not say anything about this man in any sort of negative way.  This man was replaced by another person (My former boss was released on Christmas Eve for doing right by his clients and employees  which was a BIG mistake by corporate…which is like it’s father the devil….you understand; i’m not a fan of “corporate” anything).

My boss was released and another person replaced him, this person was a hire from a mega church in the area. This person managed a large number of persons in his position at the mega church.  I’m not going to speak to his salvation, but he was not comparable to the former boss, in regards to character, care of employees, or clients. This person was very pliable and was not one that could be embraced and comfortably trusted…unfortunate, but true.

So, what is it that differs you from a person that is moral, ethical, or even an upright a-theist? Christ-ian, are you judgmental? easily annoyed? do you have a short fuse? do you focus on the temporal? are you more carnal and worldly, than spiritual? Are you concerned with others, do you treat others in a way you would want to be treat by persons or by God, do you expect too much from others, do you expect too little from others, do you treat others in ways that you be would offend by if you received the same treatment? Do you realize if you treat persons in a certain way, they might begin to push back a little?

Reader, do you know when you mistreat another Christ-ian person, you mistreat God? Do you understand, when you dishonour or treat a person with disrespect, you are dishonouring God and treating Him with disrespect?  “Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute me?”   “Against [T]hee, [T]hee only, have I sinned, and done evil in [T]hy sight…”  When a wife is disrespecting to her husband, she is offending God and vice a versa.. “husbands love your wives.”  When children are dispespectful and dishonouring to their father, they are dishonouring and disrespectful to God, and vice a verse, “Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.” When an employee dishonours and disrespects his employer, he does so to Chris.

Reader, I have said this before and I will say it again, (DV),  The only difference between a Christ-ian, who walks as men, and not as Christ walked, is the love of God!!! The love of God for that carnal thinking, and acting Christ-ian is the only thing that makes him or her different from a moralistic person, an ethical person, or even an upright A-theist!!! Christ-ian reader, are you longsuffering? are you gracious? do you extend mercy to others? Do you treat others as Christ would treat them or as you would hope Christ would treat you?  Are you compassionate? Do you marvel when others show faithfulness?  Do you appreciate others?  Are your standards and expectations too high for a loved one?

Reader, do you think before you speak to another, or shoot a look at someone, or wag your head at someone?  Reader, Are you walking as men or as Christ?  Are you focused on the world? are you envious? Reader, do you know you can effect others with hasty retorts, actions, or gestures? Do you think of others, and esteem them better than your self?

What DIFFERS you from up-right a-theist, moralsts, and ethical persons?  Think about it, how do you differ from lost persons you work with, go to school with, anyone else you spend time with? Okay, yeah, you go to church on Sunday. Other than that, how do you differ from others?

Think about it Reader, How do you differ from the lost persons in your life? Okay, maybe you pray, but outwardly: in your actions, in your will, in your personal ways and thinking, how do you differ from other persons who know not Christ?  Reader, persons could always recognize persons who have been with Christ, can that be said about you? What differs?

Persons who love Christ and walk with Him speak to Him often and speak about Him often, Persons that love Him want to be around other who love Him and are loved by Him. Reader, do you love your spouse? how do you act to that spouse?  Do you speak well about your spouse? or do complain and murmur to lost friends?

My reader, do you walk, talk, and think as [lost] men, do you will as [lost] men will, are you controlled by feelings as are [lost] men are?  Or do you “walk as [H]e walked?”  do you think as He thought?  can you say you will whay He wills?

These are important questions and the way we answer them reveal or betray our true heart and person.

Do you walk as [lost and worldly] men walk or do you walk as Christ walked?

Godspeed.