"What are the 4 S's that Christians should follow?" my Sunday school teacher, Bruce Henning, asked the class a couple of years ago. Hmmm, I thought, as I sat in the classroom, what are the 4 S's?
These are some basic day to day behavioral traits that Christians should aspire to follow. Bruce called them the 4 S's:
As Christians, we need to make the conscious effort every day to surrender to Him. This means laying down the burden to manage everything in our lives and giving it to Jesus to manage.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30
This is a continuous challenge and is tricky to do. As humans, we naturally want control over everything going on around us. We want to obsess and worry about the little stuff and the big stuff, too! We have to remember what our Lord says in His Word:
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Luke 12:27-31
We need not worry about our needs and how they will be met. God will provide for us. We need to surrender each day to Him so that God will be glorified and so that He can work through us. In surrendering to Him, we enjoy the peace of His Spirit and are empowered for good works. God will give us the strength to live.
And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. - Romans 8:10-11
In prayer and through reading His Word, the Bible, we need to spend personal prayer time in communion with our Father in Heaven.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8
We are to pray without ceasing - 1st Thessalonians 5:17
This doesn't mean that we are on our knees in a formal prayer pose for every minute of every day. It means that we have a prayerful spirit about ourselves and are always in fellowship with the Lord in our heart. Worshipping and giving the Lord adulation in prayer re-energizes us and empowers us to handle the challenges of the day. It also empowers us to accomplish the work that He gives for us to do.
We need to be nourished by His Word on a day to day basis. God speaks to us through His Holy Word.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:11
Being separated from the world doesn't mean that we crawl into a cave somewhere and only associate with fellow Believers. It does mean that we look at the world through the filter of the Holy Bible, though. We need to continually evaluate things that we are exposed to whether it be books, magazines, newspapers, movies, music, TV, or just other people's opinions and actions that might influence us. Much of the world is busy trying to fill that "God sized hole" inside themselves that no man made thing can fill. We must keep ourselves from being distracted by the things that are temporary and focus on the things that are eternal.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1st John 2:15
We are to stand out and make a difference in this World. To stand out we must seek to please God and not man. We must be in the world but not of the world.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1st Peter 2:9
Also, when we keep ourselves separate from the distractions and sins of the world we are more likely to succeed in our efforts to avoid the snares - covetousness, greed, immorality, and even idolatry. In reality, anything that takes us away from God is a false god or idol.
"Now therefore," he said, "put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel." And the people said to Joshua, "The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!" - Joshua 24:23-24
We are created to serve God and to bless and glorify Him in every way. We are also created to serve others and to love others with the love of Jesus Christ. One of the ways that we do this is by telling others about God's love for them and the Gospel of salvation found in Christ, alone.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. - Matthew 28:19-20
Also, we can show Jesus' love by taking care of those in need, giving a hand to a neighbor, feeding the hungry and putting others before ourselves. We have Jesus as the very example of how we should humble ourselves and serve others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. - Philippians 2:5-8