"The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble."
-Proverbs 4: 18-19
Men, people should be able to tell that you are a follower of Christ by the way you walk, talk, and how you act. This doesn't mean at all that you are perfect; you are simply saved by grace. This means you must hold yourself to a higher standard as one of God's sons. You are royalty when you are apart of God's family. You need to hold yourself accountable to walk the walk that pleases your Heavenly Father. If people can't see a difference in your life from the unsaved then it's time for some inward inspection, repenting, asking God for forgiveness, and for a fresh start. I've had to do this many times in my life and God is faithful to pick me back up each time. Now this doesn't give me an excuse to "act the fool" and do whatever I want because God forgives so easy. That's not authentic Christianity and if that's been your attitude I would challenge you to reexamine your approach to your salvation.
When Christ comes in he changes us and makes us new. He gives us the Holy Spirit to work with our conscience to speak to us about what path to take and what is right and what is wrong. We should be shining like the morning sun as this verse says above. On the other side of the equation are the wicked who stumble in the darkness and don't even realize how lost they truly are. The Bible says that Satan has blinded their eyes from seeing the right path to take. It's actually very sad. You should pray for those around you who are lost and can't seem to find the right path to take. Many times it's these lost souls who will blaspheme you for your faith and try to tear you down. Have pity on them. Don't stoop to throwing mud back at them like they are doing to you. Often times they will attack your Christianity and Spiritual walk the hardest to try to hurt you and tear you down to their level. It's no fun being called a hypocrite by a person who is broken and lost but it happens. Broken, lost and hurting people often do not choose their words wisely and won't fight fair. Remember, hurting people hurt other people. Be on guard and change what needs to be changed in your daily walk but consider where the backlash is coming from and don't react out of anger. Take the high road. Matthew 5:11 says it's a blessing when people insult, persecute, and make false statements against you because of your following Christ. Believe it or not you have a target on you when you claim to be a Christian.
I have found myself a number of times trying to reach out to a hurting person only to have them lash back at me when what I really wanted to do is try and point them in the right direction for help. Guys, some people may say they want help but if their not willing to listen and attempt to change, it's a waste of time, and all you can do sometimes is pray for them and give them over to God. It will consume you if you try to get too wrapped up in their life. It hurts to see them lost but you can't waste your time on somebody who doesn't want to change or won't take the necessary steps needed for change. It's only God who can reach them and change their heart. Keep walking tall men and be a positive light to those in need and who want to grow in the things of the Lord but don't lose yourself in trying to fix them. This will only discourage you. Only God is able to change their heart. They need Christ! Stay on your path as God's man.
The ones we care about the most sometimes cut us the deepest. Even Christ was rejected by his own kind.
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