1 Peter verses 15-16 says, and I quote from the King James 1611 version, “but as he hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
I listened to a sermon the other day, where the minister spoke against women waring pants, watching television, the internet and FaceBook. He didn’t get too many amens, just FYI. His message did have a positive effect on me, though; it made me think. So, here’s the results of my much thinking. :)
When I was growing up, my dad was not a Christian. Praise the Lord forever, today he is! Yay! But, a conversation with my dad when I was a teenager has stuck with me all these years. We were talking about someone we knew, and for the sake of privacy, I’ll call her Mary. I don’t know what we had been saying about Mary, who BTW is a Christian. What I do remember is my dad said, “A little holier than thou, isn’t she? I mean, from the way she acts, you’d think her name was Mary Christ.”
From what he said, I believe my dad felt like Mary had reached a level he felt he could not reach, so why bother. I believe there are lots of folks out there, who probably feel the same. Someone told me a few months ago that she had no use for organized religion. Let me say, that I think the reason for that, is quite possibly, organized religion had no use for her.
In the book of Luke, chapter 19, Jesus passes through Jericho, and in Jericho, there was a rich man, a tax collector named Zacheus. Now, Zacheus was real short, but no one felt sorry for him. In fact, no one liked him, much, I’d bet. When people saw Zacheus coming, they probably hid, like a lot of you do when the Jehovah’s witnesses or Mormons come up your front walk. Zacheus deserved people being hateful to him; he cheated folks out of their hard-earned money. Well, on the day Jesus was coming through town, Zacheus was curious to see him, but he couldn’t, because he was too short to see over the heads of the crowd. Wonder why he wanted to see Jesus? I’m sure he had heard all the stories about Him, and like any nosy person, he wanted to get a look at Him for himself. So, he climbed in to a sycamore tree and waited.
Pretty soon, he caught sight of the famous man that everyone was talking about. But, something wasn’t right. I mean, this man who reportedly healed folks and raised them from the dead didn’t look like anything holy. Why, in fact, He looked a lot like everyone else. He wasn’t especially nice-looking, either. Had Zacheus misjudged Him?
Then, as Jesus passed under the tree, He looked up and saw Zacheus hiding there. He told him to hurry up and come down, for He was going to his house to stay, today. Somewhere between that moment and the moment when Jesus left Zacheus’s house, something happened to the tax collector’s heart. And, wonder of wonders, Jesus never said anything about do’s and don’ts. He didn’t say, “Now, Zacheus, your wife and kids got to put on church clothes.” He didn’t say, “Um, Zach, buddy, better stop cussing, ‘cause the son of God is eating with you today.” He didn’t say, “Now, Zacheus, you got to start treating folks right and not cheat them anymore.”
Nope, Jesus didn’t lay down the law and expect Zacheus to obey. Instead, he just offered to be his friend, ate a meal with him, I’ll bet, and was just Himself, Jesus. Because of the Lord’s willingness to seek and save that which was lost, Zacheus had a heart transplant. :) After his heart got right, then he, Zacheus, told the Lord that he, Zacheus would pay those folks back, plus some. Zacheus’s heart was changed, and only then, did he seek to please the Lord.
Now, only you know if FaceBook is wrong for you. Only you know whether you should ware a dress or pants or a paper bag. lol Only you can make things right between you and God. If that TV keeps you from reading your Bible or going to church or praying, turn it off. If you spend more time on FB than you do praying, then stop it. But, don’t judge what is sin in another’s life. I think it’s high time, we start being real careful about saying, “Well, God told me this or that.”
Is there a such thing as being too holy? You tell me.
I took a break from blogging three times a week, but I’m going to try to get with it. :) So, come back Wednesday, when I’ll write about writing. Y’all take care, and remember Jesus loves you!
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Good post, Shannon. I do think that sometimes Christians look a bit too goody-goody to non-Christians, but at the same time, there are some things that non-Christians wish to see in Christians. For instance, when my parents were lost, if the people that visited them were decked out in dirty looking or scanty clothes or distracting face jewelery or hair, they would not have listened to them. Instead, they came clean and in 'church clothes' lol. They knelt down in the sawdust there where my dad was cutting boards, though! THAT was what impressed my dad. They dressed differently - they didn't use the world's language, and they were humble. Now, that was in 1979. Skip forward to 1986. I remember the first time I ever let a bad word out of my mouth in public. I was on the school bus - dressed in my tight jeans. I was rebellious against my dad and against God. I was mad because I felt like I was alone when my mom died and the people I wanted to care, didn't. SO, I was on the bus and I cussed a stream. The looks I got then still haunt me today. One girl said..."I thought you were a Christian!" :( Better believe I had a hard time getting my witness back. Don't know if I ever did, esp with her. Here's a good verse! Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
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