You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 1 Thessalonians 2:10 NIV

Remaining faithful to your convictions is incredibly hard when there is pressure to conform. In the press conference immediately following the Daunte Wright shooting, the Brooklyn City Manager was asked if he would dismiss the officer who made the shot. His role required him to follow due process. You don’t fire the person at the press conference. The city council held an emergency meeting immediately afterthe press conference  and fired the city manager…they followed a process.

The city manager was quoted as saying, “I lost my job. I still have my integrity.” Contrary to holding firm, one of the city council members said, “I voted to fire the city manager, because I was afraid of retaliation if I did not vote that way.”

Paul reflects on his conduct during his six weeks of living among the Thessalonians as he shared the gospel with them. A good name is more to be desired the great riches. His conduct validated his message. He uses three words as his template for making his confession about the way he lived among them.

  • “Holy” – This word captures his life before God’s standards. He aligns his life in a way that pleases God. Paul would preach about God’s holy standards of conduct, then he lived the way that he spoke. Character outweighs gifting from God’s perspective. We are made righteous because of Jesus sacrifice, you can’t earn it. But, we choose to live holy before God because of our love for Him.
    • Is there any activity that exists in your life that God would point His finger to uncover as unholy? Do you have some negative attitudes that you are unwilling to address? Are your talk and walk in agreement? Would you call God as a witness to your holy living before Him? What would He reveal as needing to change?
  • “Righteous” -Some versions use the word just. This word captures the meaning of conduct between people. We are called by God to treat people fairly and just. The second commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. We treat others, everyone, with dignity, honor and respect.
    • During his time in Thessalonica, everyone was watching the way that Paul lived among them. They watched how he talked to people in the marketplace. They watched how he spent his money. They watched to see how he overcame disagreements. They watched to see how he handled difficult people. They watched to see if he kept his word. They watched to see if the love that he talked about really changed the way that he interacted with people.
    • Do you keep your promises? Do you deal faithfully with money? Do you treat all people with honor and respect, including those who drive erratically in front of you? Do you offer forgiveness or harbor bitterness? Would others agree with you that conduct among your coworkers is blameless?
  • “Blameless” is not perfection. It means that all situations have a righteous resolve. When conflict arises, there is a committedness to resolve the issue. Division is not an option to leave on the table. Love makes the adjustments to pursue and serve those with disagree with, even when they believe something that you think is totally wrong.

As followers of Christ, we are called to live holy before God and treat all others with justice. Micah 6:8 is a fitting reminder at this close. No, O people, the Lord has told you what is go and this is what he requires of you to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. NLT May God give us grace to follow this simple process to love God and others.

Make the adjustments to keep in step with the Holy Spirit in your conduct and affairs with others. You’ll be glad that you did.

Blessings Love y’all