Paul encouragingly wrote: “According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death” (Phil. 1.20).

Here is a moving quote I recently read:  “A man searched for a gift to give to a troubled, divided and despairing world. A gift to becalm the tormented soul of a world suffering from its own inhumanities; a token to radiate his unfailing hope for better things, for better times; a gesture, perhaps to give a voice to his fervent yearning for a mood of peace; something to express what he could not say, that universal love for mankind must survive. Yet, he found no gift, no token, no gesture; nothing in the shops; nothing in the faces. And he wept at the futility of his search – not known he had it – the gift of himself.”

We look at the troubled world with all its woes, and its wickedness and we seem to despair with a sense of hopelessness.  We easily forget that the wickedness of the Roman Empire was undoubtedly greater than that of our own. We also fail to recognize that within a generation, Christianity had permeated every village and metropolis throughout the Roman world, and had captured and changed lives that had been enslaved to idolatry and debauchery. Since it happened then, it can happen again!

Like the young man whose idealism led to his own despair, we often fail to grasp the truth that a better world begins with me.  I can’t change anyone but myself. When we try to change others we often create resentment, and we close doors. Peter told the Christian women that even if their husbands are not converted to Christ by the Word, their manner of life might, through time, bring them to the Lord (1 Peter 3.1-4). This truth works in numerous situations.

Paul chose to give up his rights and liberties to bring people to Christ (1 Cor. 9.19-23). He realized that a poor example has no force. When Lot moved into Sodom, he lost his moral authority. When he warned his sons in law of the wrath of God, they thought he was joking (Gen. 19.14). His wife, ignoring the warning of Angels, turned to look back at the city and was turned into a pillar of salt. Jesus simply said, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17.32). 

Dear Christian, take the high ground. Guard your example and influence with all your might. Without them, Christians will not be taken any more serious than Lot was. [-Adapted, BTW]