being human

Just because I'm human doesn't mean I have the right to behave like one.

today I made an off colour remark to a gentleman, who gently chided me that he wouldn't expect a good christian girl to talk that way. At once a war broke out within me. I felt insulted that a non christian would comment on my behavior and imply hypocrisy on my part.

I remarked straight from my pride saying that since i pray to the Living God and believe that Christ shed his blood and died and rose again for the redemption of mankind that I am now stripped of all humanity and should conduct myself in a manner that everyone (incl ppl who are not of my faith) would deem to be proper christian behavior?

and on the other hand I had to admit he wasn't wrong in what he said. i was rebuked and rightly so. Jesus was very clear that the world will be watching his followers very carefully. He even went so far as to say that the world will hate us. We are told to avoid all appearance of evil. and that even though we are in the world we must not be of the world. Putting off our old ways and embracing the ways of Christ will make us so different that we'll, well, stick out as misfits.

Friendship with the world is to be an enemy of Christ - so then, to be friends with Christ is to be an enemy of the world. If I am truly following Christ and walking in the way of the Lord, I will stand out as different and may even suffer abuse for it.

In other words - just because I know how to cuss and tell dirty jokes and fornicate and get drunk and carry on - doesn't mean its right for me to do so. I am told to come out of the world regardless of what my pride may suffer as a result.

so. I am admonished and repentant. yesterday I read the book of Galatians (in the new testament of the Bible) and it is a firm rebuke of bad behavior in that church. I think I'll read it again - Ephesians is a good one too.

Thank you Lord.

c.anna