Proverbs 21:21 The Christian Lifestyle
“Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor” (NIV).
The last five messages have been about the Christian Lifestyle as described by Paul in Ephesians 4:25-32 and discussed in a book by Dr. David Jeremiah, Belief That Behaves. The five messages have been entitled, Our Morality, Our Moods, Our Money, Our Mouths, and Our Manners. We will finish the study today with several conclusions.
Although Paul wrote his message to the Ephesians, it has equal application today. Ephesus was a modern city of its time. situated along important trade routes. The city claimed to have the largest temple in the world dedicated to the goddess Diana, the goddess who encouraged the men to come often to the temple and “worship” Diana by spending time with the temple prostitutes. Another important factor in the daily life of the Ephesians was the business idea of “whatever it takes to get ahead,” so lying was in vogue and taking advantage of fellow entrepreneurs in order to make a profit was commonplace. Needless to say, many of the actions of the citizenry was not Christian-like.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was an encouragement to them to continue in what they had learned from Paul about the teachings of Jesus Christ. He was pleased that the Church in Ephesus had distanced itself from the everyday actions of the majority of those living in the city. On that basis, Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, is equally applicable to us today. We find ourselves in a world where cheating, lying, wrath, anger, clamor, stealing, and promiscuity seem to run rampant. Few Ephesians and few people today seem to be pursuing righteousness, love, and honor as taught by our Lord, while they seem to be spending much time, energy, and money seeking prosperity and the “good life.”
An on-line search for “lifestyles” resulted in the following list: Active Lifestyle, Healthy Lifestyle, Solo Lifestyle, Rural Lifestyle, Urban Lifestyle, Nomadic Lifestyle, Bohemian Lifestyle, and Digital Lifestyle. Christian Lifestyle wasn’t found in the list. Perhaps a description of the Christian Lifestyle wasn’t readily available. Well, I know where one can be found. The Christian Lifestyle is described in detail in a collection of 66 books called the Bible. I guess Google didn’t want to search that deeply. If a synopsis was wanted, Google could have spent a little time in the short book of Ephesians that contains just six short chapters.
So what is involved in living the Christian Lifestyle? Many would say that it is mostly made up of rules, dos, and don’ts. It is, and some of the don’t’s are these: don’t , lie, don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t cheat, don’t be mean or hateful. That’s okay with me. I’d rather not do any of those anyhow. We are, however, encouraged to go to church, read the Bible, pray, be kind, love your neighbor, and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. I’m okay with those. In fact, I like doing those things. Going to church gives me frequent opportunity to gather with a large group of friends. Reading the Bible is exciting—I get to read about the past, even the ancient past, and I get to read about the future. The Bible is full of mysteries, personal stories of courage and devotion, advice on living by the wisest man who lived, Solomon, and promises from God, the creator of everything. When I pray, I get to talk with and interact with the God of the universe, and I receive comfort and peace of heart and mind. When I am kind, I usually receive kindness in return. When I love my neighbor, I know that I am being obedient to God. And, most importantly, by accepting Jesus, I am guaranteed an eternity with Him forever. I will get to speak face-to-face with the one who gave up His life so that I may live. I will get to hear Jesus say, “I love you, Ed,” and I will get to express my love for Him face-to-face. I am much more interested in the dos of the Christian Lifestyle than I am in the don’ts.
Thank you, Lord, for your provision for a Christian Lifestyle and for providing a guidebook that shows the way to live it. Even though I don’t always follow the guidebook closely, I am fully committed to the Christian Lifestyle, and I thank you for forgiving me when I don’t always follow the rules.
Thanks for joining me for this series, The Christian Lifestyle, that began with an introduction on October 31, 2024, and ends today, November 8, 2024.