October 5, 2016
by Brandy Webb
The other day I was thinking about what am I doing with my faith? It all started from a scripture in Isaiah. God is speaking to Isaiah in regards to Jerusalem because of all their sins, and He makes a statement in verses 13 that kind of hit home to me (emphasis mine):
Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote…”
Life can be discouraging sometimes. Do you ever feel that way?
Are we showing the world the benefits of being a Christian or are we giving them reasons to dislike us? I have been wondering for a while why it seems that to the outside, Christians aren’t very loving. Isn’t that one of the major requirements of being a Christian? Are we actually our worst enemies when it comes to spreading God’s Word and light to others? What if we are stumbling blocks by our actions, reactions, and condemnations of others? We are told in Leviticus 19:14 not to “curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind.” I know this probably meant literally, but it definitely can be applied spiritually. We are not to curse those who do not know the truth nor cause them to stumble. I am not saying we need to compromise our beliefs. I also do not intend to compromise my beliefs either. What I am saying is we need to pay attention so that our actions reveal Christ to others and not self-righteousness. 
The Church of God International Springfield, Missouri 