Most of us want to be better people. We recognize that we have faults and weaknesses and desire to rid ourselves of those things. Yet, how to do it may seem to be insurmountable. I believe it is because the enemy of our soul makes it seem that there are so many things we have to deal with that we don’t know how to even begin to tackle them. The answer is embedded in God’s Word, and it is so simple that we can miss it. First, we have to bring each of our concerns to the throne room, and in prayer wait to hear God’s response to help us in our daily living. Second, we need to take God’s Word to heart, for in the sixty-six books are what some have penned the Bible to be, “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. For example:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)

This passage of scripture gives a simple remedy for us to not only get along with people, but to be a real representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we stop and think there are many times that we let grumbling and complaining come out of our mouths and give no thought to who is listening. We complain about everything from the weather to our boss who pays us. We stand in the grocery line and complain about the cashiers. We give no thought to publicly arguing with one another, showing little respect for the one we are talking to.

The above passage says if we refrain from this kind of behavior that we will “shine like stars in the sky” among other people. And even more than that, one day we will be able to stand in the presence of our Lord knowing that the life we lived was fruitful, living out His teachings, showing others that anyone can run this Christian race with dignity and humility, just as our Lord Jesus did.

Maria