All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.   2 Timothy 3:16

I hope your Saturday finds you well and full of God’s perfect peace and joy.

Have you ever encountered people who ridicule you because of your Christian beliefs?  Do you feel like you are persecuted when you witness to others?  Have you ever felt like your rights are infringed upon because of all the political correctness around you?  Do you feel pressured by other Christians?  As Christians we often want to share our experiences and teach others.    That is wonderful and what God wants!  I compare it to a football fan wanting to talk about sports.  Whatever you love just spews out of your mouth and life.  Just remember that we are not in a competition and we need to keep calm regardless of what we encounter.  I am the “chief passionate hothead”, so I have to work on being calm probably more than anybody.  If someone starts yelling, don’t get into a yelling match.  Think of how calm Jesus was in his life on earth.  Some people are interested, some are not, and for others, it may not be the right time.  You never know where another person’s life has taken them, or what has taken place before you speak to them.

In my own life I accepted Christ as my personal savior many years before I was baptized.  When we are children, our choices are often made by others, who may or may not understand.  Before I was baptized I had a huge amount of pressure on me at church, but I didn’t feel like I was free to discuss the situation and baptism was not an option the adults in my life were willing to allow.   God is good, and in time he helped me to work through this.  The same people who held me back have now turned some of their thoughts around.  It’s great to be enthusiastic, but also be calm, loving, and understanding.  God has a bigger plan than we can possibly understand.  He allows us to use our experiences to help others.

Today, live with God’s enthusiastic calmness.  God bless you.