30 November | EVERYONE
«In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.» Titus 2: 7,8
If you would like to see the devil confused and frustrated, if you want to shame him and make him withdraw from you, defeated, just walk in the paths of Christ, for there is nothing that challenges him more than an upright life.
In His passage through this world, Jesus lived that kind of life. He did not try to prove the existence of God; He showed the Father in His attitudes, and men and women could not help believing. He did not write, either in prose or verse, about the beauty of friendship, but wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus. He did not lecture on the importance of being humble, but quietly took a towel and washed the feet of His proud disciples. Nor did he limit himself to preaching about forgiveness, but, at His death hour, He forgave those who made Him suffer. The word was life in His daily experience! The theory was the walking gospel on His pilgrimage!
Paul’s advice today is to follow your Master’s pattern, being in everything also a “pattern of good works.” You can take this challenge as a duty that demands effort, self-discipline, and willpower on your part. Or, as an invitation to live an experience of daily relationship and communion with Jesus. If you accept this second option, the Christian life will be a wonderful walk with your loved one. Your existence will have meaning and even painful moments will have meaning and reason for being.
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When a being of a fallen nature, like you and me, comes to reflect Christ in their life, even the adversary is left without arguments. This is the most powerful testimony of the God who is love. Think about it, you can be an agent of change wherever you live!