Does My Faith Affect My Conduct?

"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:26)."

I recently heard someone pray, "Lord if I were to be arrested for being a Christian, let there be enough evidence to convict me."

I read this statement: Our faith in the word of God can be measured by the influence we allow it to have upon our conduct. We should ask ourselves: "Does my faith affect my everyday conduct by what is taught in the Bible or is it just traditional 'religion'?"

Does your behavior show you are a Christian? How do you behave on the freeway, in a long line at the market, or when someone speaks unkindly to you? Do you join the speed demons, those who become impatient when they have to wait, or those who have an unkind remark in response to those who behave that way toward us? Or do you observe the speed limit even when there are no police in sight; offer to let others enter a long line in front of us, or respond kindly to unkind remarks?

Glen and I were at a buffet style restaurant recently. The couple in the booth next to us had two young well-behaved children with them. As the mom returned to the buffet, she placed her used salad plate on the booth divider to keep it out of reach of her little ones. The older lady sitting in the next booth took offense to having to see the dirty plate. She started yelling at the mother, even questioning her ability to train her children properly. Needless to say, the older lady was out of line, but the mom had a choice as to how she would respond. She chose to verbally respond back in a like manner and even purposely set used dinner items on the divider. She willfully provoked the older lady. As I watched this scenario unfold in front of me, I just kept thinking, "Dear Lord, I must admit I hope neither one of them knows you. If they do know you, please don't let them say so." How embarrassing!

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Our prayer should be: "Dear Lord, let my responses reflect that I have spent much time with you."

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker. She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America's KESWICK during the summer months.