BEHAVE YOURSELF

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

MAY 4, 2022

TOPIC: BEHAVE YOURSELF

BY T. O. BANSO

“Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of the great; for it is better that he say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen” (Proverbs 25:6-7 New King James Version).

In Luke 14:7-11, Jesus teaches about humility and we can learn from this so that we will conduct ourselves well, especially among others. Many people have been embarrassed because of their improper behaviour. They did not act with decorum. You must behave yourself if you want others to respect you. You don’t demand respect; you earn it.

Jesus says when you are invited to a wedding feast, you shouldn’t go and sit down in the best place because someone who is more distinguished than you could have been invited. You will feel embarrassed if the host asks you to leave the seat for him/her and you will have to take whatever seat is left. This is a needless embarrassment caused by pride. Some people are guilty of this. They think of themselves more highly than they should.

Jesus says when you are invited to a wedding feast, go and sit down in the lowest place. When the host asks you to move up to a more important place, “Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you” (Luke 14:10b New King James Version). New Century Version says, “Then all the other guests will respect you.” Why? Because you behaved yourself. You behaved humbly.

This teaching of Jesus applies to every occasion, not wedding feasts alone. If you want respect or glory, and not disrespect or shame, don’t go and sit in the most important place, thinking it is for you. The seat may be meant for a more important guest. However, if it turns out that the seat is meant for you, it is better to be invited to sit in the best place than to be asked to go and sit in the lowest place.

Jesus concludes by saying, “All who make themselves great will be made humble, but those who make themselves humble will be made great” (Luke 14: 11 New Century Version). Matthew 23:12 and Luke 18:14 say the same thing.

Behave yourself. Don’t be like the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, who love to sit at the head tables at banquets and in the seats of honour in the synagogues (Matthew 23:6). They love to receive respectful greetings, as they walk in the market, and be called Rabbi. Jesus called them hypocrites.

Behave yourself if you want others to respect you. Anyone who acts disrespectfully or dishonourably should not be surprised if some people disrespect him. Not everybody would overlook improper behaviour. Some people will talk even if others who are also not pleased keep quiet just because they don’t want to humiliate or embarrass you. Nevertheless, it affects your reputation.

Behave yourself. Respect is reciprocal. Don’t disrespect others if you want them to respect you. What you sow is what you will reap (Galatians 6:7). “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 New American Standard Bible).

Behave yourself. Proverbs 25:6-7 says, “Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of the great; for it is better that he say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen” (New King James Version). The New Living Translation puts verse 7 this way:  “It is better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace.” This is similar to the teaching of Jesus in Luke 14:7-11. Don’t disgrace yourself.

Behave yourself. Proverbs 25:17 says, “Don’t go to your neighbours house too often, too much of you will make him hate you” (New Century Version). Some people also overstay their welcome. Even when their hosts tell them, indirectly, to leave, they can’t decode the information! This is improper behaviour.

Behave yourself. Don’t become an unwanted guest. Let your visits be considered a blessing, not a burden! Don’t become a nuisance. Be a joy-bringer, not a reason for people to complain. Let your leaving not be seen as good riddance to bad rubbish. But let it attract a sincere response such as, “we look forward to seeing you again.”

Some people wonder why they are no longer being invited to some occasions or by some persons. It could be that they didn’t behave properly the last time they were invited or on previous invitations. Probably, some of them embarrassed their hosts or created problems that they had to be dealing with after their departure. Therefore, they shut the door on themselves. Their hosts vowed never to invite them again.

You could be a Pastor, public speaker, trainer, professional, friend, or whatever. Behave yourself. Learn to conduct yourself properly. Be ethical. There are things you should and not do. Don’t abuse relationships. Don’t sabotage yourself. Don’t shut the door on your blessing with your improper behaviour.

Behave yourself.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life, your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and was raised on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: I repent of my misbehaviour in the past that has shut the door on me. Forgive me, Lord. Help me to always behave myself. Let me no more behave embarrassingly. Have mercy on me and let closed doors be reopened in Jesus’ name.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org