Jesus was very clear when He described the demands of discipleship. He declared:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

Rather than being a religion of minimal commitment, Christianity requires complete devotion. Christians do not practice religion one day per week or only when convenient. We must live every day for Christ.

Therefore, we seek to have “conduct worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27), and we strive to be “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14).

Our Behavior.

Scripture describes everyday religion in various ways. For example, the apostle Paul frequently compares the Christian life to a walk. Writing to the Ephesians, he urged:

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).

Later in the same letter, he exhorted his readers to “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:2); to “walk as children of light” (verse 8); and to “walk circumspectly” (verse 15). In each instance, Paul had personal conduct in mind.

Behavior matters.

Our Influence.

Another description of everyday religion is found in Jesus’s admonition in Matthew 5:16:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Although the term “light” calls to mind one’s influence, it is not possible to separate influence from personal conduct. Consequently, Christians must live each day in hopes of encouraging others to glorify God (cf. 1 Peter 2:11-12).

Our Effort.

Perhaps James summed up everyday religion best when he wrote:

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

This demands daily effort.

Paul addressed the subject of daily Christian living in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12. Having warned the brethren about the need to maintain sexual purity (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8), he continued the discussion by exhorting the Christians to practice “brotherly love.”

Importantly, Paul gives concrete examples of what brotherly love looks like in one’s life. Brotherly love is demonstrated when one behaves appropriately. But how do we do this?

Paul’s answer is worth noting. He said,

“But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing” (verses 10-12).

Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.

Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.

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