Does the way we live really matter?

We live in a world that no longer seems to have absolutes. No doesn’t really mean no. Sex isn’t sex unless intercourse is involved. It’s not cheating as long as you don’t get caught. This attitude is seen in movies, in songs, lives of public figures, and even in the way people approach their relationship with God.

The watchword for our age seems to be “tolerance”, which has lead to a popular sentiment, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe something”. But the saddest part of this is that, because there are no absolutes, what you believe still doesn’t need to have any bearing on the way you live your life, so it’s ok to believe anything you want and do anything you want and the two don’t even have to match. Is it any wonder our people are a bit confused?

The real question in all this is does it really matter what we believe and how we live? I think that if we take the Bible seriously then the answer to that question has to be a resounding “YES it matters!” Listen to God’s words to us through His servant Paul:

7 Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit..
Gal 6: 7, 8 (NLT)

I think the way we live matters to God, to our families, and to our world:

· It matters to God because he designed us, knows what’s best for us and wants us to live up to our potential. If we chose to abandon Him and His design we place ourselves in direct opposition of a God who can’t be fooled, tricked, or lied to.
· It matters to our families because our spouses and kids need to be loved, honored, and encouraged. They need to know that there are boundaries within which they can safely live and thrive.
· It matters to our world because most people are living their lives like a boat adrift. They have no real direction or purpose. They need to know that there is a safe place they can anchor, a place to be protected and given an opportunity to heal, find hope, and discover a future.

I think your life matters and if you think so too remember one final thing. Don’t allow the world around you to force you into its image. Instead we must live lives that are changing the world. As one preacher reminds us “Remember it’s not the ship in the water, but the water in the ship that sinks it. So it’s not the Christian in the world but the world in the Christian that constitutes the danger.”

Love in the Lamb,
Dale Phipps