DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: AUGUST 26 THE BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS (1) SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 12: 14 – 21

Today’s devotional focuses on one very important ways believers in Christ should behave with those who seem not believing in their faith. How Christians behave themselves amongst unbelievers in love and humane relationship matters a lot to God. What this means is that, believers’ good behaviours towards unbelievers has the greatest influence in turning them to become believers. Even though believers’ greatest hatred and attacks come from unbelievers, we the believers are to behave ourselves around unbelievers in the most noble fashion. There cannot be a better forum to behave ourselves good and noble than in the midst of unbelievers. Every unbeliever looks forward to seeing Christians behaving goodly. If all Christians adopt Apostle Paul’s behavioral guideline in Romans 12: 14 – 21, more of the world’s population would have embraced Christianity.

This devotional makes bold to say that, some of the contrary misbehaviours of Christians account for reason many prefer staying away from churches. As Christians, unbelievers are bound to hate us, persecute us and do anything possible to reject Christianity. But we are not to rain curses upon them or laugh at them when evil falls upon them. Believers are told, by the lead text of this devotional, to rejoice with unbelievers as well as mourning with them. Believers are advised against relating with anybody, including unbelievers in pride. Rather, believers are to relate with everybody friendly and willingly associate with those of low positions. These days, some Christians who rate themselves as Kingdom candidates already, do not see any good reason why they can relate with unbelievers.

Even though some unbelievers hate believers, the believers are not to pay evil for evil; but in carefulness, do whatever is right in the eyes of everybody (Rom. 12: 16 – 17). The instruction to “Make sure that nobody pays back for wrong, but always to try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5: 15 NIV); is for believers. One may say, but the Bible warns against “yoking with unbelievers” or forming companion with persons of bad manners. Answer here is “yoking together” means be in friendship and bonding together such as done in marriage.  We are also permitted not to form intimate relationship with corrupt companions who want us do the evil they do. Against all, we are to behave godly and nobly with unbelievers. We are their lights and salts.

PRAYER:

LORD JESUS, you did not discriminate between sinners and saints during your works in the world. Please build into my mind, how to behave well with unbelievers. Holy Spirit of God, kill religious prejudice in me.

POSITIVE CONFESSION

I am the light and salt in the world. I will make lives admirable for unbelievers in Jesus name.

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