We ended yesterday with the thought, that the world is watching us as believers. Let’s live how Christ would live. Let others follow me, like I am following Christ, just like Paul said. Obviously we are not perfect like Jesus, but we have been given power to live life boldly, authentically, and in truth. The tools are ours, all we have to do is operate in them. How does that work out in the real world? It can happen in lots of ways. As we finish out this week talking about honesty as one of the foundation principles of a loving life, I think it is good to see the connection of honesty with every other trait we have talked about so far.
Think of how honesty is tied to each of these traits with an example of how to put it into action.
*Kindness- A kind person will be honest- I love the kind honesty of a friend who tells me when I have lipstick on my teeth, or a thread hanging off of my jacket.
*Patience – A patient person will be honest – There is a gentle way to say I wish you were on time. It could sound like this. You are important enough in my life to wait for, but when you take up my time by being late, I have to reconfigure my schedule.
*Forgiveness – A forgiving person will be honest. I choose to forgive, even when I don’t feel like it, because an honest person realizes forgiveness isn’t based on feelings, forgiveness is a choice.
*Courtesy – A courteous person will be honest. Excuse me, I didn’t realize that my car was in your way, or apologizing when your actions were selfish or haughty, by saying, please forgive my rude behavior, it was totally uncalled for.
*Humility – Is living honestly. We know where we get our value from and we are not overinflated, or under inflated! We are a cracked pot – a jar of clay, but we hold a treasure that can’t be measured with human hands.
*Generosity – A generous person will be honest. I would love to give to your cause, but I have already chosen to give to my church and the other charities that I support.
We can say things in a loving way, and still be kind, patient, forgiving, courteous, humble and generous. So this weekend, find a way to be more like Jesus. Act like He does. It is Biblical! We are told in Gal 5;1 to imitate Christ. Put the Word into practice today!
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