THE GOOD NEWS IN GOOD MANNERS
Love has good manners. 1 Cor. 13:5, Phillips
He had all the right answers. He knew where the texts were in his Bible and understood a great deal about the original manuscripts. Well-read in Christian literature, well-versed in current events, he was regarded as a theologian, though he held no degree. Yet he was offensive in his manner of speaking to people. He seemed more interested in being right than in being careful.
A Christian, she dressed properly enough. Her skirts were an acceptable length, and her necklines were modest. She didn't attend unseemly gatherings, and she taught her children to memorize scriptures. Yet her conversation was sometimes less than appropriate, her manners slightly coarse. She prided herself in the fact that her worldly neighbors counted her as "one of the gang," but she did not seem to realize that her compatibility came at the expense of deeper, inner virtues.
Paul states that "love has good manners." How important are good manners in sharing the good news about our Father? Is He not judged by the deportment of His followers? God is love, and God has good manners. When those who profess to follow Him display rudeness of any sort, or lack of finesse, they cannot help but stain God's character--no matter how properly they are attired or how many scriptures they are able to quote. Lack of dignity reveals a lack of caring respect for others. It's like serving the truth of God on the tip of a poisoned arrow.
Having good manners means far more than knowing which fork to use for your salad. It is the whole presentation of a person in every setting and at all times. And mannerliness does not end when one is out of the sight of others. Though a quality of inner dignity and outward composure that finds its best expression in deferring to other people, it also operates in total privacy. When a person has a sense of personal worth, it is reflected in even the minutiae of life.
God is like this. Go to the desert and see how perfectly formed are His tiny living things. Who sees them? Go to the sea and witness the extravagant detail of microscopic marine life. Why does it matter? Then go to your prayer closet and discover how careful He has been with every detail of your life. Even when it didn't matter to you!
Friends, we can trust our lives to the Father!
Love has good manners. 1 Cor. 13:5, Phillips
He had all the right answers. He knew where the texts were in his Bible and understood a great deal about the original manuscripts. Well-read in Christian literature, well-versed in current events, he was regarded as a theologian, though he held no degree. Yet he was offensive in his manner of speaking to people. He seemed more interested in being right than in being careful.
A Christian, she dressed properly enough. Her skirts were an acceptable length, and her necklines were modest. She didn't attend unseemly gatherings, and she taught her children to memorize scriptures. Yet her conversation was sometimes less than appropriate, her manners slightly coarse. She prided herself in the fact that her worldly neighbors counted her as "one of the gang," but she did not seem to realize that her compatibility came at the expense of deeper, inner virtues.
Paul states that "love has good manners." How important are good manners in sharing the good news about our Father? Is He not judged by the deportment of His followers? God is love, and God has good manners. When those who profess to follow Him display rudeness of any sort, or lack of finesse, they cannot help but stain God's character--no matter how properly they are attired or how many scriptures they are able to quote. Lack of dignity reveals a lack of caring respect for others. It's like serving the truth of God on the tip of a poisoned arrow.
Having good manners means far more than knowing which fork to use for your salad. It is the whole presentation of a person in every setting and at all times. And mannerliness does not end when one is out of the sight of others. Though a quality of inner dignity and outward composure that finds its best expression in deferring to other people, it also operates in total privacy. When a person has a sense of personal worth, it is reflected in even the minutiae of life.
God is like this. Go to the desert and see how perfectly formed are His tiny living things. Who sees them? Go to the sea and witness the extravagant detail of microscopic marine life. Why does it matter? Then go to your prayer closet and discover how careful He has been with every detail of your life. Even when it didn't matter to you!
Friends, we can trust our lives to the Father!
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