“Let
us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in
sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe
yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify
the desires of the flesh 1.”
Evil deeds are typically down behind closed doors or under
the cover of darkness. That would lead
me to believe that even though some appear brazen in their actions, there must be a twinge of shame or a hint of
wrongness to what they are doing. If
that were not true, why not do it in the daylight for all to see? As believers devoted to Christ we are called
to behave decently, which means we are to act with kindness and respect,
conforming to recognized standards of morality and conventional behavior. Not that of the worlds, but rather than set
forth by God. Man’s attempts at moral
and conventional behavior pale in comparison to the Lord’s. Men try to behave with goodness and kindness,
but they always ends up giving glory to themselves in the end.
Clothing yourself with Christ is like putting on a Jesus
jacket. He goes with you everywhere you
go by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit, therefore He is aware of your every
thought, word, action and reaction. Just
when you think you are alone, Christ is there.
When we have an errant thought that is immoral or unsavory, God is
there. We must be very careful what our
eyes see, our ears hear and our mouths say.
Think of it as taking Christ everywhere you go like a best friend, only
He is more than a best friend for friends are human and will let you down from
time to time. Christ is our
brother. God is our Heavenly Father. He wants only that which will elevate us
spiritually and not tear us down. Shun
evil and tap into the power to do good by the power of the Holy Spirit within
you. Shed your proclivity* to do the
wrong thing and allow the Spirit to guide you into all truth. It’s the way we are expected to live. Become more like Christ each day and change
the world. Until next time, walk with
the King and be a blessing!
1
In contexts
like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful
state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit. [Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®]
* Predisposition; inclination. [Definitions provided by the American
Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt Publishing Company.]
