No Clanging Bells Please

  Perfection is a hard word. The verse used in today's reading is Matthew 5:48 where it talks about the Christian being perfect even as God is perfect.

   Chambers says today:

   "The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God's life in us expresses itself as God's life, not as human life trying to be godly."

   The last phrase of the quote just jumps out at me. Trying to be godly is where I see myself a lot of the time. Not only trying to be godly, but trying to appear to others as a godly person, is a self-defeating occupation.

It seems to be easy, especially in the church, to let the appearance of godliness and piety become a substitute for the true thing. Even at home, with the ones who know us best, where we don't want to disappoint or disillusion anyone, we keep up the facade, even when we don't feel very godly on the inside.

   Chambers says that the secret is God's transforming power operating inside of me. If I let the light of God shine out through me, as He leads me, and make that my real self, then others will benefit, and there will be no need to work so hard to be godly.

   Abiding in Jesus Christ is the answer and everything, according to Paul in I Corinthians, is just "clanging brass or a tinkling cymbal".

   After all , people around me will benefit much more from seeing a sermon than hearing one any day.

   Let Your Light So Shine.........that God is Glorified (not me)