Your neighbourhood is your immediate environment. It is expected of everyone who professes to be a Christian to live a life that other people can emulate. This is because Jesus refers to us as the light of the world and the salt of the earth. In today’s text, Christians are expected to live a lifestyle that resembles Christ. We should display good conduct everywhere, especially in the neighbourhood.
Importance of Displaying Good Conduct in Your Neighbourhood
Displaying good conduct in your neighbourhood is an important aspect of your life as a young disciple of Christ. Below are some of the important points:
- Good conduct is a way of influencing other children around you positively.
- Good conduct is evidence that you are disciplined.
- Good conduct is a medium to attract other children towards you.
- Good conduct earns you respect and honour
- Good conduct makes adults love you
- Good conduct will make people stand and speak for you when you are accused
Above all, God will be pleased with you because your life will shine the light of Christ
How to Display Good Conduct in Your Neighbourhood
As a young disciple, you should display good conduct like Jesus. When other children see your good deeds, they will glorify God because of you. Displaying good conduct involves developing godly virtues in your life and letting the people around you see them. Some of these godly virtues are:
Kindness: Kindness is one of the fruits of the spirit which every child of God is expected to bear(Galatians 5:22) . As young disciples of Jesus Christ, you need to be kind towards other children in your neighbourhood.
Mercy: The Bible says “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy”(Matthew 5:7). A disciple of Christ needs to show mercy to others. If anyone does what is bad to you, do not revenge. Helping others when they are in need is another way of showing mercy.
Forgiveness: Jesus, when teaching His disciples how to pray included the need for us to forgive those who offend us so that we can receive forgiveness of our sins from God (Matthew 6:12). As His disciples today, you must also learn to forgive those who might offend you so that you too can be forgiven your wrongdoing by God. This is because no one is perfect.
Respect and honour for Elders: Apostle Paul in Romans 12:10b encourages the Roman Christians to honour one another above themselves. This shows that respect and honour for one another and the elders around you is a good virtue. As a young disciple of Christ, make an effort to respect other children and the elders in your neighbourhood. Avoid using abusive words to other children and being rude to the elders around you.
Peacefulness: Apostle Paul in Hebrews 12:14 advised the Christians to always be at peace with everyone…so they can see God. You need to avoid fighting and quarrelling with other children in your neighbourhood. If anyone does what you do not like, report the person to the elders around instead of fighting the person.
Humility: Humility is a godly virtue every Christian should practise. Apostle Peter advised the Jewish Christians to humble themselves before the Lord. And that God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud(1 Peter 5:5-6). As a young disciple. you must humble yourself everywhere you are so that God can promote you. If your parents are rich, or you are more intelligent than other children in your neighbourhood, avoid boasting about it.
Generosity: There is love in sharing is a popular saying. Christ’s disciples must be generous by sharing what they have with others who do not have it. This is another godly virtue, so when you share what you have with others, God will give you back in multiple folds (Ecclesiastes 11:1; Luke 6:38)
Conduct towards Siblings
Read Psalm 133: 1. As Christian children, your conduct towards your siblings should be love, patience, and respect. You are to love and respect your older siblings and also love and be patient with your younger siblings. Avoid transferring aggression to your siblings when your parents scold you for doing what is wrong. Avoid fighting one another. Your conduct should show the love you have for one another as you are always ready to assist your siblings when necessary. You should live together in peace and harmony.
Avoid being jealous of one another. Be like Jesus in the manner in which you relate to one another as brothers and sisters. Be satisfied with whatever your parents can afford and do not steal. Also, your conduct towards other family members like uncles, aunties, and households should be love and respect. Avoid being rude to them but see them as your blood relations. Generally, your conduct in the neighbourhood and at home should make every person around you to be proud of you.
Conclusion
Displaying good conduct in your neighbourhood is an important aspect of the Christian life. People will see you as a clean mirror to check themselves as they try to imitate your way of life. As a young disciple of Jesus Christ, you should be an example of good conduct to other children in your neighbourhood. By this, you will be able to influence them positively God will help you. Generally, as young disciples of Christ, let your conduct at home to glorify God. This will make your parents and the people in the society proud of you. They will also be able to defend you when you are wrongly accused outside your home and community. Your siblings will love you and respect you. Other members of your family will be proud of you as well.
Think and Decide: How is your behaviour towards other children in your neighbourhood? Is it the one they can emulate or the one they run away from? Will you have a change of mind concerning what you have learnt today?
Talk to God: Heavenly Father, help me to be a good example of good conduct in my neighbourhood in Jesus’ name.
Bible Study/Verses about Neighbours or Neighbourhood
The Bible verses explain and teach about living in peace with neighbours, loving the neighbours, helping the neighbours, having a good rapport with your neighbours, playing with your neighbours and doing good with your neighbours. You should not do what will harm your neighbours because they were created in God’s image. When you destroy the image of your neighbours, you technically destroy the image of God. The following are some of the Bible verses you can use when you are working on the keyword.
1 Corinthians 10:24;1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 13:1-2; Galatians 5:14: Matthew 7:12; Philippians 2:3; Romans 15:2; Romans 14:13; Colossians 3:13; John 13:34; Leviticus 19:18 ; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31 ; Luke 10:27 ; Mark 12:33 ; Matthew 5:43 ; Proverbs 27:10 ; Luke 10:29 ; Luke 10:36 ; Genesis 45:10 ; Joshua 9:16 ; Joshua 9:22