Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2: 11-12
Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. 1 Peter 2:12
KYLE FEELS SICK as he rethinks how he and his friends snuck into an X-rated movie last night. What he saw was shockingly gross. He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn’t say no to his friends.
Amber and her friends spent the whole evening bashing one of the girls at school. It was vicious. Amber later wished she had walked away when the gossip started, but she just couldn’t. She regretted the ugly things she said.
Swimming against the current in a river for very long takes more strength than any of us can muster. It’s easier just to relax and go with the flow. Problem is, the wrong flow can sweep you away from shore-forever. Friends, like that flow, can tire out even the strongest swimmer. That’s what makes it so crucial that your closest friends pull you in the right direction, challenging you to live for Christ.
You can’t claim to follow Christ and keep on compromising. Like 1 Peter 2:12 says, if you keep your behavior excellent, your friends might one day glorify God. If you compromise, though, your friends won’t ever see a difference between your life and theirs. And if they see no difference, they will have no reason to become followers of Christ themselves.
How can you keep from compromising? By becoming a person of convictions. A conviction is a standard you commit to keep regardless of the cost. You might have a conviction, for example, that says, “Because my body is the temple of God, I will never take any illegal drugs.”
Write down what your no-compromise convictions are. Then you’ll have no doubt what your standards are and what actions you need to take. When you are in a tempting situation, you can recall what you decided while you still had your head and you’ll be more motivated to follow your convictions.
As you write your convictions, follow these guidelines:
- Put them in first person: “I will …” or “My goal is …” or “I plan to …”
- Make them action-oriented, something you will do or not do-instead of something you believe.
- Make them pointed and specific, not fuzzy and general.
- Base them on Scripture.
REFLECT: What are your no-compromise convictions? Have you started to write them down?
PRAY: Spend some time today asking God to help you begin formulating your convictions.
