December 18, 2019

HONORABLE TO ALL MEN

3 Maccabees 3:3-5

The Jews, though, maintained their goodwill and unswerving faith toward the throne. But because they worshiped God and lived by His precepts, they kept themselves separate from others with regard to food, and therefore appeared hateful to some. But they adorned their way of life with the good deeds of righteous people, and thus established themselves as honorable to all men.

Personal Challenge

At this point in time in the Maccabees, the rebellion by the Jews has been thwarted and they are once again under the rule of a foreign nation. They had a history of giving themselves over to foreign gods and then suffering the consequences of separation from their loving God. Don't we do the same today? Even in the midst of all of that, including threats from the leaders that they are under, this group chooses to live in a way that showed their love for their God, our God, and their commitment to His ways. By doing this, they were perceived as honorable to all men. We too can live this way in this world around us. We can live for Christ and by His teachings. We can love our God and our neighbor, even when it is difficult and different from everyone around us. We can adorn our lives with good deeds in order to glorify God.