Our Walk In This World Series

I’ve heard people say things like, “Well, I don’t like hospitals and nursing homes. The smell makes me sick.” Or something similar.

Well, how do you think it makes those who live there feel? I used to go see our Miss Billie when she was eating lunch. Do you know what kind of lunch she got? She had no teeth so all of her food was pureed. I couldn’t stand to look at it and smell it, but she had to eat it.

We need to remember our widows in their affliction and loneliness. And here’s another command that we prefer to overlook and not do.

James 1:26 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

We don’t like to keep a tight rein on our tongues. We often just say whatever comes out, without thinking and whether it might offend someone or not.

ILL.- I read that New Year’s eve comedian, Kathy Griffin, did a “no-no.” Well, actually she said a “no-no.” Here’s the news item. Comic Kathy Griffin rang in 2010 by dropping the F-bomb live on TV during CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast with anchor Anderson Cooper Thursday.

What F-bomb? You know. The “F” word. I didn’t watch it or hear it but I believe it about Kathy Griffin. She’s got a real problem with her mouth. She thinks she’s being cute when she says stupid words, nasty words and derogatory words.

I guess in some ways she can’t help herself, because as far as I know, she doesn’t know Christ as Savior. When a person isn’t a Christian you can’t expect them to behave well.

BUT WE SHOULD! If we claim Christ as our Savior then we all need to heed the command and keep a tight rein on our mouths! We need to be more careful in what we say and how we speak!

Should we go on? Should I select some more commands that perhaps we’re not too good about obeying?

None of us claim perfection. Far from it, in fact, but we all should work at obeying the Lord the best we can. It’s not easy but when we come across scriptures that are definite commands we should work at them and ask for the Lord’s grace to obey Him. We must make a conscience effort to walk in obedience to the Lord.

II. WE MUST WALK IN LOVE

6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

We must walk in love. What a big command! We must love others! We must love one another!

ILL.- I heard preacher Wayne Smith say in a sermon one time, “Lord, I know it’s wrong to hate anybody but if it ever becomes right I’ve got the guy picked out!”

How about you? I bet if you have the guy picked out then there is problem with someone out there you don’t like. There will always be some people that we don’t like. But we’re not commanded to like people, we’re commanded to love people.

And obviously, it’s hard to love someone that you don’t like. It’s much easier to demonstrate love to someone who is nice, lovable, kind, considerate, etc.

But the commands stands true: We must walk in love toward others. We must demonstrate love as best we can toward all people.