Please God, Not Man

"Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world." I Peter 2:12

Many people, at one time or another, deal with gossiping friends, neighbors, and associates. Peacefully co-existing with such individuals who like to spread rumor or malicious lies can be a challenge, as the above Bible verse suggests. Even if you are wrongly accused and the topic of a hurtful falsehood, let your focus be on God so that your behavior continues to be an honor and blessing to Him.

This makes great sense since, after all, if we are expending precious time and energy needlessly worrying about silly whispers behind our backs by those who may have issues of their own, then our focus is being taken off God. It is satan and those who are against or anti-Christ that want us to waiver in and neglect our faith.

The other reason why God reminds us to continue in honorable behavior is that our lifestyles can be great tools in reaching those who most need to witness Gods peace, love and wisdom. We can lead by example.

It is easy to be good when everything is going our way, but it is not so simple a task when one is being unfairly treated. While your first inclination may be to return negative jab for negative jab, God calls us to rise to a higher standard.

No, you should not worry about what others may be maliciously whispering, but please DO be concerned that godly living and behaving is what you continually strive for.

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Contributed by Melanie Schurr (Copyright (c)2005 Melanie Schurr) Melanie Schurr is author of "Ecstatic Living: A Christian marriage manual and Life-guide", "Son Salutations" and "Daily Contemplations", which are a collection of read-one-a-day modern inspirations. For more information, visit www.MelanieSchurr.com