How will you wear your Baptism?

Well, it's the start of another week and the question I pose today is how will you wear your Baptism? Our world has come to the point where we are pitted against each other, right or wrong, for our beliefs. Not just our religious beliefs, but political and social as well. One disturbing trend seems to be that if you are on the morally conservative side, you should be perfect - no blemishes, no mistakes. Well to date, there has only been one perfect man to walk this earth.

The problem is that there are too many that claim to be righteous, speaking out and judging others for their actions, especially in the political arena. They claim to be the "better" person -  morally, socially - I'm sure you've heard these folks. You may ask, what is wrong with this practice, especially now when it is so important to distinguish your differences from the other candidate? Well the problem is that none of us are perfect, we are sinful by nature. But it doesn't stop there. The true root of the problem is that we have far too many leaders that spout righteous rhetoric, but their actions don't live up to their words.

My devotion yesterday morning had the title Faith Works! True faith shows itself in good works (not the other way around). Today's leaders, both political and corporate, are constantly living by the "do as I say, not as I do" rule.

How will you wear your Baptism? Its something I think about each morning and include in my daily prayer. It stems from hearing how Martin Luther would always pray to God to help him wear his Baptism. To me, it means praying for the strength to treat others as they deserve to be treated, remembering that we were all created equal, none better then the other. I pray that as situations come up with my wife, my kids, my family and friends, as well as complete strangers, that I will see that person as another child of God, worthy of just treatment. And I especially pray that the other person will know my faith, that I am a Christian, by the actions I take.

A few years back (quite a few as a matter of fact) a colleague I was working with told me he knew I was a Christian by the way I handled myself in the workplace. That really made me feel good, but it also has kept me on my guard, constantly evaluating my actions to make sure they continue to convey that same message. Sadly I am not always successful. However I know that by God's grace I am saved and forgiven, I just need to prayer for forgiveness knowing that it is already granted.

May God grant you peace and joy as you start your week.

As a side note, a new release of PrayerSteward will be out within the next few days. Keep checking the website for updates on the availability. New features include marking individual prayers confidential by assigning a password, inspirational Bible passages that relate God's instructions to us on prayer, contact pictures now show in the commitment detail screen and some enhancements to the look and feel of the User Interface.