Holy living

In today’s world, the media reports on what liberal and conservative Christians have to say about everything. We are quoted almost as frequently as the politicians.

Topics of interest are immigration, government, birth control, abortion, entitlement programs, environmental issues, homosexuality and the list goes on. Like political rhetoric, our statements are frequently reduced to sound bites that do not give full representation of our beliefs.

Sometimes, I wonder if we practice the same Christianity. No one likes to be misquoted or misrepresented.

Maybe our best defense is to remain silent on controversial subjects and live our lives according to the Gospel. God’s Word can be interpreted through the example of our Christian living.

Our society has become very individualistic. We tend to polarize ourselves in everything that requires us to have an opinion. We feel the need to be justified in our beliefs, and that our viewpoints are right.

The danger is that if other people don’t agree with us, we often feel the need to assault their character with our words and actions. When we do this, we are not making room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. If we serve a living God then we need to be open to the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

In the 12th Chapter of Romans, all Christians are given the same prescription for holy living. The Apostle, Paul, makes it clear how we are to live our lives so that we glorify God. When our lives glorify God, we are living in the kingdom which Jesus tells us is here and now.

According to Paul, we make our living sacrifice to God by living in a manner which reflects genuine love. The question becomes how do our actions and our speech glorify God? Do our conversations and opinions, which are so important to us individually, reflect the love of Christ? Paul tells us not to be conformed by this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that makes the transformation of our lives possible.

A few years ago, I was challenged to read the 12th Chapter of Romans every day for six weeks. I accepted the challenge. I make the same challenge to you.

It changed the way I thought about others, it gave me the opportunity to focus on my personal relationship with God, and I found that the remission of my own sin was more important than focusing of the sins of others.

If you decide to accept the challenge, I would love to hear your insights. You can email me at [email protected]

May the peace of the Lord, always be with you! Amen.

Rev. Tar Drazdowski

Christ Episcopal Church