Wed.’s Devo - Honesty is the Best Policy

Read Ro. 12:16, 17 We are to see everyone in the same light. In the second chapter of James, James goes into detail about this scripture. He says that if someone walks into your church and is dressed richly you should treat him the same way as a homeless person. It makes me humble when I ask myself, would I have followed Jesus when he was here or would I have thought he was a crazy man. Isaiah says that there was nothing about him that we would desire him. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Many hid their face from having eye contact with him because he was so unappealing. His description sounds just like a homeless person. If he walked into our church in this form, what would be our response. Would I ignore him and pretend not to notice this new face? I hope I wouldn’t. As Americans, we seem obsessed with watching the rich and how they live. There are so many magazines about ‘who’s doing what with who’ and as long as they are famous, people buy these magazines and read about their favorite celebrity like they know them. I am also amazed at the attention that Kate and William are getting. The encouragement there is that they seem to be good role models so far and there is not the dirty news about them…yet. Hopefully, there won’t be. Verse 17 says that we are not to return bad treatment to a person that treats us poorly. We love revenge and think it is somehow justified. It is if you want to live according to this world. We are suppose to forgive, no matter what - whether they ask for it or not. The rest of the verse tells us to be honest to everyone. If we are honest in small things then people will be more receptive to hearing and believing what we say about Jesus. Lord, help us to be honest in our dealings today.