Sunday, August 15, 2010

Living Letters

Are you the fragrance of life to people, or are you the fragrance of death to people?

The other day I was playing soccer in the local church soccer comp. and I was disgusted that the other team could play in the manner in which they did, whilst still proclaiming to everyone that they are Christians. We were winning for the most part of the game by a couple of goals, so it wasn’t a tight contest, but some of the language that came out of some of their mouths was disgusting. Not only that, but on a number of occasions one of our players was pushed over by one of their players, and all of their guys would congratulate the player that injured the player on our team. On one occasion one of our players was bleeding from the head…

The manner in which they were playing was not only rough and disgusting, but it was unchristian. And it made me disappointed to know that many people would evaluate Christians from these people. No wonder so many people believe that Christians are hypocrites. If they are basing their opinion off people like this than its true.

I believe that this is something that every Christian should always keep in mind.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says ‘You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts’.

What this verse is saying is that we are all letters of Christ, and that everyone is reading the letter we write. So then, that begs the question of what it is that your letter says. Everyone, whether Christian or not, is telling the world something through who they are. The actions you do, the words you say, the morals and values that you hold to. The manner in which you react to hard things. It all says something about who you are. It is the letter that EVERYONE is reading.

What letter are people reading about your life? Do you swear? Do you get drunk? Do you get angry easily? Are you impatient? Do you speak without thinking? Do you act without thinking? Is there anything that you do that you know God is not pleased about?

Repentance is deciding not to do wrong anymore, and choosing to do right. Repent of your wrong. Ensure that the letter that people read about you is the fragrance of life, and not the fragrance of death.

N.B. Something else that I learnt from the soccer match is that knowledge does not equal wisdom. One of my ex school teachers (from a Christian school) was in the other soccer team and was instigating a lot of the bad behaviours and encouraging it. This teacher I used to hold in high regard, but his actions showed the opposite of wisdom.

WISDOM= seeing things through Gods eyes and evaluating all you do and say by that (and acting accordingly). Its of eternal worth.

Knowledge= facts figures, ways of doing things. For the most part it is not of eternal worth (those things that are of God are of eternal worth).

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