"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility to all men."
Paul certainly likes to pack his sentences and this one is really overstuffed! But oh, such good stuffing. He starts off by saying "remind the people . . ." Remind. We all need reminded of Scriptural commands, and often. Especially when things don't seem to be going our way and we get ouselves "out of joint" so to speak. We are mandated by Scripture to remind each other, in a loving gentle way of course, of those things that help us lead godly lives.
The first "remind" is "to be subject to rulers and authorites . . . " Today, a great many of our rulers and authorities are doing things that are ungodly, immoral, and non-beneficial to us, but Scripture commands us to be in obedience to them. Our merciful and wise God has allowed them their positions for His reasons, so we must honor God, no matter what we feel. First and foremost is our obedience to God.
That's the second "remind" - "to be obedient". 1 John tells us that if we love God, we will obey His commands. And not just some of them. All of them. To date, I have not yet found the "Cafeteria" version of the Bible where we can pick and choose only those items we enjoy. How much we love God is equated with how obedient we are. Tough one.
Then the Scripture continues "be ready to do whatever is good . . . " We never know when an opportunity is going to pop up to "do a good deed", so we must always be prepared. Just like the Boy Scouts (I think they took their motto from the Bible!). Are you ever-ready to glorify God with your actions? Are you on high alert for ways to serve the Lord?
Uh-oh. Trouble. Next is "slander no one." Slander is the twin sister of gossip. Nasty sisters. Only cause irreparaible harm. Slander means "evil, malicious talk intended to damage or destroy another person." Murder of the spirit. Ugly sisters. Good grief, NOBODY in the Body of Christ does THAT !!!!!!!!!!
And the last "remind" is "to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility toward all men." Blessed are the peacemkers . . . Are we agitators or are we the "fabric softner" of life, effective at removing wrinkles and static? Do we like to "stir things up" or remove the pot from the heat? To be considerate is to show kindly awarness or regard for anothes FEELINGS. True humility is putting God and everyone else before ourselves. God is first, ALL men are second, and I am last, always being tender towards the feelings of others. This destroys the spirit of selfishness in us and releases the fruit of mercy and compassion.
My daily to-do list. If we work at it every day, it will become a way of life and a glory to the Lord. Are you ready to start working?
Lord Jesus, I need remined not only daily, but lots of times by the minute. Holy Spirit, I'm askin you now to be my constant reminder. I give you my permission to encourage me however you will to keep my eyes on Jesus, my ears open to the leading of His voice, and my heart ever-ready to do as He asks. Thank you, sweet Savior. I love you. Amen.
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