TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 14, 2015.
LIFESTYLE
A typical way of living reflecting attitudes and preferences of an individual.
My son hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 1:8.
Jesus indicated in the scriptures that there would be a permissive society just before He returns to this earth. He said, “As in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Lord. The world today has a lifestyle that basically is immoral and denies the existence of God.
Many have fallen into a lifestyle in which they believe intellectually and then live their lives like the devil. When you ask them about God many respond that God is a just God and he will forgive them at some point and take them to heaven.
But the real truth is that being a Christian is serious business. One needs to believe that he or she is a sinner, repent of those sins, asks Jesus to come into their heart and then follow Jesus and His teachings.
When choosing our lifestyle in life we are dramatically affected by what we were taught and what we learned beginning in our childhood days. As a young child we begin to learn all of the positive and the negative values in our parent’s lifestyle. A child learns by watching and listening. What they witness in their parents lifestyle has the most influence on them. A parent’s influence has a major role in determining the kind of person a child becomes.
Lifestyles are learned by what a person sees and hears and decisions are then made by what interest’s one the most. Children need to develop positive work ethics at a young age. When they do they will usually continue to have good work ethics throughout their life. Good work ethics are needed in order to succeed. The choosing of friends plays a vital role in shaping one’s life style. Again one is affected by what they see and hear.
In Ezekiel 18:5-9, Ezekiel says that the word of the Lord came to him and gave him some thoughts on what God wants in a lifestyle. The MESSAGE translation puts it in words that we can all understand today. “Imagine a man with the lifestyle of living well, treating others fairly and keeping good relationships.” He goes on to explain what God does not want in a person’s lifestyle.
“Who doesn’t eat at pagan shrines, doesn’t worship idols, doesn’t seduce a neighbors spouse, doesn’t bully anyone, doesn’t pile up bad debts, doesn’t steal, doesn’t refuse giving food to the hungry, doesn’t refuse giving clothing to the ill-clad, doesn’t exploit the poor, doesn’t live by impulse and greed, and doesn’t treat one person better than another.”
Then Ezekiel tells us what makes a good lifestyle. “But lives by God’s statutes and faithfully honors and obeys God’s laws. This person who lives upright and well shall live a full and true life.” That is the lifestyle God wants from us. As believers we are to have a lifestyle that is characterized by love, imitates Christ, demonstrates true faith, and is governed by truth which is God’s Word.
From early on as young parents we wanted to guide our children to lead a lifestyle that was pleasing to God. When they did something wrong we corrected them and endeavored to explain why it was wrong. We taught them to know right from wrong. Before they could read we read to them from children’s Bible story books. We took them to Sunday school and church. We taught them to live by God’s standards. But what we realized to be the most important influence on them was our own lifestyle. They witnessed daily how we talked and what we did.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 16:3.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Give me a lifestyle that honors and glorifies Your name daily. May my lifestyle set an example to all that I see and talk to this day. Give me guidance in teaching my children how they can develop a lifestyle that honors You.
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