Transparent - a word that has been tossed around every day over the past 4 weeks by the politicians in Washington. And these politicians use it when it has been proven that they lied about something they swore to be true! It seems that a better word would be "opaque", not "transparent". According to the dictionary, one of the definitions of "opaque" is 'blocking the passage of radiant energy and especially light'; 'not clearly understood or expressed'. "Transparent", on the other hand, is defined as 'having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that objects lying beyond may be seen clearly; free from pretense or deceit'; 'without guile or hypocrisy'.
This "culture of corruption", a term coined by the democratic leaders 2 years ago when they took over the majority lead, (but now this corruption that they accused the other party of is running rampant in the democratic party), is a policy that we absolutely DON'T want to become a "trickle down policy"! All of us have the natural tendency to watch those in authority over us, whether it be government, church, family, work, etc., and try to mirror the way they act. If it's negative behavior, we excuse ourselves by blaming it on our bosses, our pastors, our parents, etc. How many of us were shaped by the saying, usually spoken by our parents, "Do as I say do, not as I do!"? And how many of us are saying the same things to those "under" us, whether it be at work, at home, at church, etc.?
In God's economy, in God's culture or environment, we are told to be holy, as He is Holy; we are told to be without guile, sincere, without hypocrisy; we are told to let our "no be no" and our "yes be yes". We are told to tell the truth, not to lie. Our model should not be those over us in government, church, family, work, etc., but Jesus Christ Himself. We have been instructed to "walk in the light, as He is in the light". We are commanded to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, not allowing ourselves to be conformed to this world. Our minds are NOT renewed by Hollywood, Fox News or the internet! Our minds are renewed by the Truth of His Word, by spending time in His Presence, immersing ourselves in His culture. Our hearts and spirits are encouraged and strengthened by spending time with those of "like precious faith", who are seeking to live in the light as you are.
It is so easy to allow our actions to be shaped by the culture around us; this is why we need to be diligent every day to walk in the culture of God; walking in the behavior and attitudes that He demonstrates for us in His Word. Years ago, in 1896, a book was written about a group of Christians who decided to ask one question before they did anything: "What would Jesus do?" The book, IN HIS STEPS, tells of their experience, how they learned to mirror the life of Christ rather than the world around them. The popular logo WWJD, What Would Jesus Do?, was based on this book.
My prayer in these difficult days, when those in power seem devoid of light, "opaque" if you will, may God give us the grace and courage to be those who walk in the light, who are not afraid to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ!
This "culture of corruption", a term coined by the democratic leaders 2 years ago when they took over the majority lead, (but now this corruption that they accused the other party of is running rampant in the democratic party), is a policy that we absolutely DON'T want to become a "trickle down policy"! All of us have the natural tendency to watch those in authority over us, whether it be government, church, family, work, etc., and try to mirror the way they act. If it's negative behavior, we excuse ourselves by blaming it on our bosses, our pastors, our parents, etc. How many of us were shaped by the saying, usually spoken by our parents, "Do as I say do, not as I do!"? And how many of us are saying the same things to those "under" us, whether it be at work, at home, at church, etc.?
In God's economy, in God's culture or environment, we are told to be holy, as He is Holy; we are told to be without guile, sincere, without hypocrisy; we are told to let our "no be no" and our "yes be yes". We are told to tell the truth, not to lie. Our model should not be those over us in government, church, family, work, etc., but Jesus Christ Himself. We have been instructed to "walk in the light, as He is in the light". We are commanded to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, not allowing ourselves to be conformed to this world. Our minds are NOT renewed by Hollywood, Fox News or the internet! Our minds are renewed by the Truth of His Word, by spending time in His Presence, immersing ourselves in His culture. Our hearts and spirits are encouraged and strengthened by spending time with those of "like precious faith", who are seeking to live in the light as you are.
It is so easy to allow our actions to be shaped by the culture around us; this is why we need to be diligent every day to walk in the culture of God; walking in the behavior and attitudes that He demonstrates for us in His Word. Years ago, in 1896, a book was written about a group of Christians who decided to ask one question before they did anything: "What would Jesus do?" The book, IN HIS STEPS, tells of their experience, how they learned to mirror the life of Christ rather than the world around them. The popular logo WWJD, What Would Jesus Do?, was based on this book.
My prayer in these difficult days, when those in power seem devoid of light, "opaque" if you will, may God give us the grace and courage to be those who walk in the light, who are not afraid to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ!
We are NOT ashamed and pray that the Light of God shines through us daily!!!
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ReplyDeleteOops, sorry about the delete above! My comment was: "Loved what you said in the 3rd paragraph, and totally agree!" (I'm still learning this blog stuff!)
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