Called to Be Better

 Romans 14:19

19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

We live in a very troubling world.  Each day we are bombarded by sounds, stories, and pictures of horrifying events.  However, the ugliest thing in our world seems to be how we as God’s creation treat and talk to each other.  As I look at the world events, I realize how many tragedies could be spared if we as His children would just do what the Lord has said.  

Do you enjoy social media?  Are you like the majority of American’s in today’s world that frequent social media apps to see what your neighbor is up to or what is going on in the world?  How do you treat it?  Do you use it as a tool to spread the gospel, to show love, and to edify others?  Do you use it as a tool of criticism, hatred, and bitterness?  Speaking personally, I would love to say that I have always used it in love, but the reality is, I’ve used it more like the latter, full of criticism and bitterness.

Have we forgotten how Christ told us to live and interact with each other or do we just rebel and choose to live the way we want to live?  Of course, we choose the second which is a life of sin.  

The world of criticism, gossip, and bitterness has become prevalent in the church.  We hear this talk amongst believers just as much, if not more than that we see in the world.

We were not called to be like that.  We were called to be so much more.  So, besides Romans 14, what else does the Scripture say about this?

James chapter 3 is one of the most famous sets of Scripture that talks about how we as believers are supposed to speak.  It brings out the fact that words do hurt and that words can make a more powerful impact than many of us realize.  The part of it that I would like to focus on is 3:9-10.  Speaking of the tongue, James says, 

9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

This is so straightforward, yet it is so concerning on how so many of us ignore these Scriptures today.  One moment, we will be praising God and lifting up His name, and then the next we will be gossiping about another brother or sister, or slamming another person on social media.  Now, please don’t misunderstand me.  As Christians, we should stand against those things that are contrary to the Word of God.  Read that again.  We should stand against those things that are contrary to the Word of God.  I think this is where we fail.  What is seen from the church today is derogatory and hateful speech against others who may not take the same view as you.  One example which I’m sure I will get criticism over is the current opinion of mask wearing during the pandemic.  I have seen some downright hateful speech and I have heard hateful speech coming from Christians concerning this.  Christians calling other Christians, idiots, “sheeple” (which again, we as Christians are sheep, guided by the Great Shepherd), ignorant, taken in, etc.  Let me ask the Christians who take this viewpoint that it is okay to slam another person for deciding to wear a mask, where do I find that in Scripture?  Where in Scripture does it say that it’s a violation to wear a mask?  Where do I find in Scripture that even a governmental mandate is against the Word of God?  Now, I’ve heard the argument that the current atmosphere, including masks , sets up the times for the antichrist.  If you have been a student of the Word of God, you know that this has been in process for a very long time. My concern with this though would be more towards the push for a cashless society and a one world economy, not necessarily the fact of a person wearing a mask.  It seems that in today’s society, we seem to want to find something to argue about.  It seems that sometimes there are those of us who crave for conflict.  There are those of us who just take a contrary stance because we secretly want to be viewed as wise from others or maybe we want to be seen as sometype of rebellion leader or martyr for a cause.  Who receives glory when we have that type of thinking?  Who receives the attention?  Is it God?  No.  It’s ourselves.  It becomes a selfish act.  Praise is not directed towards God, but attention and acknowledgment are given to ourselves and not the Almighty God.  That is contrary to what Scripture says.  Proverbs 3:5-6 states, 

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Ultimately Christian, we are called to lean not unto our own understanding and acknowledge Him, not ourselves, in all things.

If we want to see a society turn to God. If we want to see a society repent and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  We must start with ourselves.