Making a Difference

I should not have done it. This morning I read the newspaper before I read my Bible. A few blocks away, a condo burned leaving two couples homeless. Fires burn out of control northeast of our city; homes have been lost. A man shot his wife and daughter before killing himself. Someone shot two dogs, family pets, and put them on railroad tracks where they were mangled by a train. My stomach knots as I feel the pain of the people involved.

The list goes on. Extortion, robberies, the usual about CEOs taking more money than anyone else thinks they are worth, armed conflict, protest rallies, and rebellion of every stripe. The world inside my home and family seems like another planet compared to the world out there. I’ve peace and joy, and almost feel guilty about it.

To have this peace, the world needs Jesus, but I’m not a Billy Graham. How can I make Jesus known? How can I make the Gospel attractive? I feel like such a small grain of sand on a huge beach that is hammered by troubled waters, skepticism and confusion.

My devotional reading today is from Paul’s letter to a pastor in Crete. There were problems in the first century too. Reading between the lines in Titus, crime and difficulties are obvious. It isn’t too difficult to see that the Gospel was not appealing to everyone back then just as people reject it now.

In those days, slave-master was the norm rather than employee-employer. Some slaves stole from their bosses just as some employees do now. Some were rebellious and loudmouthed. Some were also Christians. The Gospel had reached their hearts, and like anyone else, God expected them to act like servants of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to Titus and told him to . . .

Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. (Titus 2:9-10)

Unlike employees today, slaves back then had little status in the community. They were mere property, yet God gave them great respect and responsibility. Slaves, yes, but they still had the ability to make His teaching attractive by the way they lived. By being different from the average slave, they could adorn His truth in every way.

That is an encouragement to me. The world may not know or care that I don’t shoot people or pets, or that I don’t steal from anyone, or scream in protest at everything I don’t like, but the teaching of Jesus can be adorned in ordinary things by above-average responses.

For example, obey the little laws too; no speeding, even if everyone else speeds. Don’t cut others off in traffic. Give back the money when over-changed at the till. Smile at the grumbling clerks and show that I care about their well-being. Be polite. Be kind. Treat everyone with consideration, strangers and family alike. Be faithful in what I’m responsible for doing, even going the extra mile if appropriate. Say encouraging words. Notice those who hurt. Give hugs when hugs are appropriate.

I’m reminded of the adage, “It takes so little to be above average.” These days, the average line is badly sagging. The Bible reminds me that even a slave can make the world notice how Jesus can make a difference. By living as He wants me to live, I can too.