Good Christian Behavior

My thought for the day:

Ephesians 4:11-12, "And God gave some, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints and the work of the ministry and EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST."

When I was young, my siblings and friends played hard. We skipped rope, climbed trees and played King of the Mountain, Tag, Hopscotch and Hide and Seek. In the winter, if the sidewalks and roads were covered with snow and ice we put on our second-hand skates and skated all the way from Glenwood and Court Street to Hall Flats where the Police Department always poured a huge rink for us. We would skate a couple hours and when exhausted we would return home. Sometimes at night we could not sleep because our legs hurt so much. Mom would come into our bedrooms and rub our aching muscles with lotion and always say, "It's just growing pains.

Sometimes, Christians suffer growing pains too. At first, we are like little newborns and need to be nourished and comforted. But as we reach 2-3 years of age, we are expected to begin crawling, stand up on our own strength, and eventually take our first steps. Our bottle is taken away and we are placed in a high chair with a beginner's spoon and bowl. Soon the baby spoon is replaced with a fork and before you know it we are eating bite size pieces of steak! As our diet enlarges, sometimes we are compelled to eat not what we necessarily like, but what is GOOD FOR US."

As soon as we can understand what our parent are saying, we learn that there are guide lines for almost everything. We are to "Share Our Toys" and no hitting, pushing, pinching or biting when we play with others. No yelling or screaming even when we have to take turns. Why all this fervor about family rules? Because where there are no rules and guidelines there is often chaos and unrest.

With guidelines, everyone knows where their place is and where they fit in the scheme of a happy home. As newborn babes in Christ we must go through the same routine of gaining strength to stand on our own, to feed ourselves on the meat of the Word and to get along well with others. Because of this, God has placed seasoned Christian friends and mentors in our lives who will teach us the ways of the Lord .