Hey guys, this is going to be a short blog, and it will depart from the 1John study I've posted here.
The last couple of days the Lord has really been hammering home the fact that it is better to DO right than to BE right. Think about that for a second. It is better to DO right than to BE right. This applies to life in general, but should really hit home to us Christians. You can be right about something, but you can mishandle your rightness. In so doing, you alienate the very people who should be positively impacted by said rightness.
For example: let's say you're having a debate about how many animals Noah took on the ark. The person you are debating says "two of each kind." But you open up your Bible to Genesis 7:2 and say, "You stupid idiot. Anyone who really knows the Word knows that he took "seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female." (Genesis 7:2).
In this instance your knowledge is right; you answered the debate correctly. But your behavior is wrong. You are right, but you do the wrong thing, and because your behavior is wrong you drive away someone with whom you could share, someone to whom you could have communicated the love or truth of God. But because you did not act in love...because you were self-righteous and arrogant, your correct answer is overshadowed by your incorrect behavior.
Oh, friends...let us always strive to DO right whether we are right or wrong, but especially when we are right. James 3:11-12 tells us that sweet water and bitter water cannot flow from the same spring. May our prayer be "Lord, may we be wells of sweet water that bubble up and flow out to the lost and dying."
If we DO right always, we will be less obnoxious and more loving when we ARE right. After all, there is nothing more poisonous to God's sweet, loving, living water than the self-righteousness of those whom He has appointed to pour it out.
1 comment:
You are so right! I always try to be careful about this sort of thing when talking to my coworkers, many of whom are not Christians. We have all sorts of great discussions, and while I hope that I have opportunities along the way to share my faith I also don't want to push them away if I act smug or smarter than them. It is a fine rope to walk on, but very important!
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