Living Worthy

DEVOTION
1 THESSALONIANS
LIVING WORTHY
1 Thess 2:10-12
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. NIV
I sure cannot claim how holy, righteous and blameless I am among others who believe. Although I suppose when I am with others who believe I may appear as though I am. Is that a false front? Or is it truly who I am? I do know because of Christ, in the eyes of God, I am holy, righteous and blameless. But it still bothers me that I do not think I am in my own eyes. I know my faults, the sin I still struggle with. I can I be a perfect being, completely holy, righteous and blameless within the body I live now? So I have to ask myself how can I fulfill these words of scripture. Only in Christ is my answer. Yet I still am obligated to be the man of God he desires me to be. I am still to approach those who I have been given charge to assist in their walk with the Lord as a father deals with his own children. I still am charged with encouraging, comforting, and urging those follow believers I am with to live lives worthy of the God. I must ask myself how well am I doing in this area. Am I encouraging enough? How do I encourage others to live a life worthy of God? Is it simply by my own behavior or the combination of how I live my life and my words? I think it is both. I know I fail at this comforting thing. I think I am not as comforting as I should be. I am not sure when comforting is needed. If I understand the Greek in the right way then maybe I do comfort. I do relate near to others. I do understand they too struggle with sin in their lives. I understand all of us are imperfect and thus I know the pain and anguish each of my fellow believers have within their being. If that is comfort, then I may well be doing what I am supposed to do. As for the urging, I believe with the opportunities I have been blessed with to preach, teach and write, I do urge my fellow believers on to live lives worthy of God. But I also think that within my daily life, and whenever I am in contact with any fellow believer these qualities, or behaviors should be a part of my being. Each and every day I live, I should be promoting myself and others to a life such as this. How is it possible, not to remember, God has called me into his kingdom and glory? It is not! I am always aware of his calling me into his kingdom and glory as well as all my fellow believers. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.