When I say "It matters where you live" I don't necessarily mean physically... and I'll return to that very shortly.
The King James Bible uses a very interesting word when talking about living your life, and it's a word that we do not use very regularly anymore, although I think we should... The KJV calls your life, your CONVERSATION. Think about that for a minute... Conversation, as we know it today defined by Wikipedia is "the verbalization of concepts involving abstractions and concrete objects which make up the reality in which we reside." Now, to make this definition little more applicable to this post, conversation is the output of what we think, believe, feel, and know to be true about ourselves, our life, and our world around us each day. When another person sees your decisions, habits, actions, reactions, and passions; hears your thoughts, words, speech, and reasonings; and understands your motivations, desires, goals, and practicalities that you live by each day... this is called your CONVERSATION. Now, let's take a look at what the Bible says about the word "conversation":
Ephesians 2:3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians 4:22
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
1Timothy 4:12
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:7
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
James 3:13
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
1Peter 1:15
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Peter 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Peter 2:12
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1Peter 3:1
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
1Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
2Peter 3:11
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
The Bible is very clear as to how a believer in Jesus Christ ought to live his or her life, and therefore it is important to know that it matters HOW you live... our conversation in this world is to "be as it becometh of the gospel of Christ (Phil 1.27)"... But I want to take this a little deeper... I believe that the thing we need to consider more is not necessarily HOW you live, but WHERE you live.
Consider this with me... WHERE you live will determine HOW you live. A person that lives in the middle of the jungle in central Africa will have many, many different ways of life when compared to an individual that resides in downtown Chicago. There are different modes of communication, different ways to travel, different customs to follow and be aware of, and many, many, MANY other things that will be different. Now, you cannot expect the person that lives in downtown Chicago to move to the jungle of central Africa and live the same kind of lifestyle that they lived while in Chicago. In the same way, you cannot expect the person that lives in the jungle of central Africa to move to downtown Chicago and live the same kind of lifestyle they once had... it would be incredibly CRAZY to even imagine what that all would be like!
There are a lot of applications that we can take from that example above (especially when it comes to a brand new believer in Christ), but what I want to talk about is that this simple truth that we explored together should cause us to stop and realize that unless our daily, constant habitation (Psalm 91) is found in Jesus Christ, our conversation in this life will never be what the Bible says our conversation should be. Unless we are thinking about God all the time in everything that we do, praying to Him without ceasing all day long, spending as much time with Him in His Word as we possibly can, talking about Him when given an opportunity, earnestly contending for the faith that was given to us through His Word, and striving to always be about the Master's business there is no way that we will be confident that we have lived the kind of life that God desires for us to live... the kind of life that we all long to have as His creatures created in His image...
Where is your habitat? (Psalm 91.9)
The King James Bible uses a very interesting word when talking about living your life, and it's a word that we do not use very regularly anymore, although I think we should... The KJV calls your life, your CONVERSATION. Think about that for a minute... Conversation, as we know it today defined by Wikipedia is "the verbalization of concepts involving abstractions and concrete objects which make up the reality in which we reside." Now, to make this definition little more applicable to this post, conversation is the output of what we think, believe, feel, and know to be true about ourselves, our life, and our world around us each day. When another person sees your decisions, habits, actions, reactions, and passions; hears your thoughts, words, speech, and reasonings; and understands your motivations, desires, goals, and practicalities that you live by each day... this is called your CONVERSATION. Now, let's take a look at what the Bible says about the word "conversation":
Ephesians 2:3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Ephesians 4:22
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
1Timothy 4:12
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Hebrews 13:7
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
James 3:13
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
1Peter 1:15
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Peter 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Peter 2:12
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1Peter 3:1
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
1Peter 3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
2Peter 3:11
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
The Bible is very clear as to how a believer in Jesus Christ ought to live his or her life, and therefore it is important to know that it matters HOW you live... our conversation in this world is to "be as it becometh of the gospel of Christ (Phil 1.27)"... But I want to take this a little deeper... I believe that the thing we need to consider more is not necessarily HOW you live, but WHERE you live.
Consider this with me... WHERE you live will determine HOW you live. A person that lives in the middle of the jungle in central Africa will have many, many different ways of life when compared to an individual that resides in downtown Chicago. There are different modes of communication, different ways to travel, different customs to follow and be aware of, and many, many, MANY other things that will be different. Now, you cannot expect the person that lives in downtown Chicago to move to the jungle of central Africa and live the same kind of lifestyle that they lived while in Chicago. In the same way, you cannot expect the person that lives in the jungle of central Africa to move to downtown Chicago and live the same kind of lifestyle they once had... it would be incredibly CRAZY to even imagine what that all would be like!
There are a lot of applications that we can take from that example above (especially when it comes to a brand new believer in Christ), but what I want to talk about is that this simple truth that we explored together should cause us to stop and realize that unless our daily, constant habitation (Psalm 91) is found in Jesus Christ, our conversation in this life will never be what the Bible says our conversation should be. Unless we are thinking about God all the time in everything that we do, praying to Him without ceasing all day long, spending as much time with Him in His Word as we possibly can, talking about Him when given an opportunity, earnestly contending for the faith that was given to us through His Word, and striving to always be about the Master's business there is no way that we will be confident that we have lived the kind of life that God desires for us to live... the kind of life that we all long to have as His creatures created in His image...
Where is your habitat? (Psalm 91.9)
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