Many Faces

TFO - Table for One Ministries- Ministry for Singles and Leaders to Singles - Blog - Many Faces

Have you ever experienced great customer service? “Out of this world” kindness from a store or restaurant that compelled you to tell others about it on Facebook or Twitter? Now, have you ever wondered if the person that made that experience great was that same way at home as they are at work? Sometimes when people are paid to do something, they do it with excellence and exceed all our expectations. Truly serving another person beyond what is expected. But are those same people with great customer service the same at home as they are at work?

Two faces is an easy trap to fall into. You put on a face for work and then have a face for rest of your life, or maybe you have different faces for many areas of your life. Many faces for many people may seem to work for a short period of time, but over the long haul your faces begin to crack. The charade of faces becomes too hard to maintain and you become who you are, your real face. This can be seen in older adults, who have lived their whole lives and now are simply who they are without effort. Some are grumpy and mean, while others are sweet and kind regardless of their physical circumstance. Their true face is showing.

1 Peter 2:12 NLT “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” When you have many faces, you are inconsistent and your walk with the Lord suffers. Others should be able to find no fault in you because of your honorable and consistent behavior. Phrases like “Live what your preach” come to mind as standard believers should have on their lives.

Shed your many faces so that your light may shine bright in this world. Be the same person at work, as you are at church, home, around family, and with friends so the Lord may be glorified in all that you do.

Rumor Has It

TFO - Table for One Ministries- Ministry for Singles and Leaders to Singles - Blog - Rumor Has It

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

Can you keep a secret? Secrets are intended to keep someone away from information that they “should not know.” The funny thing with secrets is that people tend to get hurt when they create too many secrets. Secrets can hurt relationships and even break marriages. A a single, you have the ability to let only “wholesome” talk come out of your mouth and choose to build up those around you. Too often singles get caught in the “secret trap” in their social groups and relationships are forever damaged by gossiping about those secrets. Here are a few proverbs about gossip.

  • Proverbs 11:13
    • A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.
  • Proverbs 16:28
    • A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
  • Proverbs 18:8
    • The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.
  • Proverbs 20:19
    • A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.
  • Proverbs 26:20
    • Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.

Some of you are saying right now, “But where is the line with gossip?”  Gossip is unwarranted sharing of information to others for conversation. Unwarranted information is things you share that no one asked you to share, but you thought it necessary. Gossip also tears another person down or diminishes them. When you share gossip you are sinning and causing the person you are with to sin as well. All of us all guilty of gossip, either intentional or unintentional. Keep in mind that if we keep our conversation beneficial to those who listen, we are less likely to gossip and more likely to build others up.

Sin Will Make You Stupid

TFO - Table for One Ministries- Ministry for Singles and Leaders to Singles - Blog - Sin Will Make You Stupid

Have you ever heard the phrase “Sin will make you stupid?”  Credit Dr. Danny Akin for that phrase.  It’s true, sin will make people do incredibly ridiculous things knowing they will get caught in the act. Take people who look at things on the internet in a corporate work environment. Not all, but most corporations have a way to track what you see on your screen while you are at work. Knowing that people get caught and fired all the time, people still choose to view those things in the workplace. E-mail is another thing that is easily tracked and leaves behind evidence of what you are communicating with other people. Recent examples include former CIA Director David Petraeus and South Carolina former governor Mark Sanford. Both highly respected people in high ranking positions that let sin make them stupid.

So how do you as a single adult keep sin from sending you down the wrong path and doing something “stupid?” James 1:4-10 tells us to flee from evil and drawn near to the Lord. The Messages says “Quit dabbling in sin and purify your life.” The last verse says to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” So do you dabble in sin from time to time not thinking it is a big deal? It’s not the “major sins,” but ones like gossip, white lies, and taking a double look with lust at the person who just passed you by that you keep on hand as a little sin and don’t fully give to God that will make you stupid.

God wants us all to live life and to have it more abundantly. We can do that by cutting out sin where we see it in our lives to keep us above reproach with the Lord. As a single adult you need to surround yourself with people to support you and pray for you on a weekly basis. Be involved in your church organization and find those people that will keep you from making bad or “stupid” choices.