How You Live

Titus 1:15-16
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. (NLT)

Living in the United States is good. There is no better place in the world as far as I am concerned. Even those who are poor live better than many others around the world. There are government programs available that allow them to live at a standard far above many working class citizens in other countries.

Notice I said our government programs? This is good in that many are helped, but at the same time bad. It has removed us from the need to help. We just let Uncle Sam take care of them and at the same time complain about the taxes we pay and the bureaucracy necessary for those programs to succeed.

We can get so wrapped up in our self, our family, our friends, and the activities at our church that we miss it. The way we live does not extend out to others in the world in which we live. Sure we help out at the local soup kitchen or put a buck in the bucket when someone is asking for donations outside of that store we went into today.

Jesus tells us about the good Samaritan. Remember the story? Religious leaders and others avoided the hurting man by walking across the street. Isn't that denying Him by the way we live?

God sees where we are in our day to day life. The Holy Spirit might even give us a kick wanting us to step out and speak to that person near us, that neighbor Jesus spoke of. Now I am not talking about looking for people in need. I am talking about recognizing the people God puts in front of us. They are the neighbors whom we are to love as we love ourselves.

Does our life walk speak Jesus to the world, or do we look just like everyone else? Do we deny Him by the way we live?