Draw clost to GOD ... Part Two

©Lightwritingmatters 2015

If you have the time to read this Bible book, Philippians, you will see the cohesive and fond voice Paul uses as he writes to them.

He starts with this: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, ⁵ For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; ⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Phil 1:3-6

He closes with this: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Phil 4:23

It is difficult not to note the deep affection he had for this body of believers.

Part Two:

ü whatever things are honest

Regarding ‘whatever things are Honest’

Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines the capacity and situational usage of the Greek word “semnos” as ‘August, Venerable, Reverend’; To be venerated for character, honorable, of person; of deeds. In other words, someone who is known for a highly moral character. Someone, a reasonable person, would be respectful of and to and who would not question their character.

In today’s world where lying has gone from something utterly incomprehensible and unacceptable in any faction of society, be it family, neighborhood, community or government, to opposite extreme where many believe it is not only acceptable to lie it seems there is no pain of conscious in the activity of deceit. Thus, many in this country have defaulted to disbelief at the hearing, the reading and the making of any statement. Ulterior motives are nearly always suspect in all situations in any form of communication. When we look to the people who appear on our screens as reporters, politicians, now entertainment --- many shrug shoulders at the silliness of the commentary. The fact there is no attempt to hide the guile is evidence we have moved away from even the basic definition of honesty. Consequently, when many hear someone who is actually honest their skepticism defaults to wondering what his/her agenda is --- what scam are they pulling. How does one with an unquestionable character ever succeed in any way in this environment?

Success is a subjective concept measured by multiple perspectives. For the purpose of this post let’s focus on the theme this blog maintains: The Christian’s life lived from GOD’s perspective as outlined in the Bible. Thus, germane to this post would be how does GOD express HIS position on deceit? Proverbs 6:16-19 is a direct answer to that question.

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

¹⁷         haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸         a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
¹⁹         a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Notice a common denominator? Deceit comes in so many forms. The underlined portion is the direct response to GOD’s thoughts on deceit. These are things we need to be sure we are not involved in doing even in the lightest shade of grey. A lying tongue does not come in ‘white’ or other colors. A lie is a lie. A false witness is not only someone who saw something and did not report it correctly. You can set about to manufacture a narrative that is not anything but false. If you have no firsthand KNOWLEDGE of anything and cannot contribute to the truth of the matter remain quiet. Lying and false witness are intrinsically linked.

If we are to remain free to pursue ‘whatever things are honest’ we must fight the urge to be relevant to or in all things. Let our actions, or sometimes inactions, speak to our desire to remain honest.

Conclusion:

As we have discussed being recognized as a morally centered honest person is what the statement ‘whatever things are honest’ is partially conveying. But, as a Christian, while our actions and speech should be circumspect -- always mindful of our inherent position as part of Christ’s family --- we can never misrepresent our family name. A most important thing to remember is our humility. It is not for the sake of a ‘good name’ or ‘good report’ for us alone, but for GOD. Us having a good name for ourselves is good but not the most important reason we remember ‘whatever things ae honest’ as a character we want to fine tune. If we spend time wanting our ears tickled with accolades to “our” behavior or character, we are actually about our ego and not about doing what is right for GOD.

Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you

©Lightwritingmatters 2015