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“A proper lady does not go around punching people in the nose.”
The book is set in the 1890s, when everything centered around being accepted in society. The problem was that there was a young girl who wanted to be a lady, yet she was nothing of the sort. The term “ragamuffin” was given to her because of her disheveled appearance, temper tantrums, and an “act-before-you-think” attitude. Her brother, determined to help her, brought in a woman from the 400 (the elite in high society back then) to see whether she could refine his sister.
When asked what the girl wanted, she said she wanted to be a lady and accepted by society. As her new friend reminded her, the girl may have called herself a young lady, but she was anything but.
“Just examine yourself. What about you says you are a ‘proper young lady’?”
We may call ourselves one thing, but upon further examination, we discover we are another.
2 Corinthians 13:5
“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.”
When Paul founded the church at Corinth, many professed to believe in Christ. He taught them the ways of the Lord according to Scripture and provided himself as an example for them to follow. But after Paul continued on his missionary journey, he began hearing reports that the believers were not behaving as they should.
The Corinthian culture was inundated with idol worship, sinful lifestyles, and widespread false doctrine. The culture was a moral cesspool. And Paul was afraid it was oozing into the church.
He instructed them to examine themselves. If they were truly of the faith—if they genuinely believed in Christ and wanted to be His followers—there would be clear evidence of that. However, their lives revealed that they were anything but.
We may call ourselves one thing, but upon further examination, we discover we are another.
If someone were to describe you today, would Christ-follower be on that list? I’m not suggesting we do things for show—far from it. But it is only natural that if Christ lives in us, His very nature will be reflected to those around us.
When we speak.
When we act.
What we spend our time on.
How we spend our money.
What we believe is important to teach our children.
What and who we support.
Are these things a reflection of Jesus and His teachings according to Scripture? Or are they formed by the influence of the world?
A tree once grew and produced beautiful blooms. It was well watered and received plenty of sunlight. And in the spring, as the blooms faded, fruit began to grow. This was an apple tree, and it produced apples.
If we are disciples of Christ, what should we be producing?
Disciples.
Let me show you how. Go to follow.lifeword.org and learn more about what it means to be a devoted follower of Jesus and how to teach others to do the same.
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