Luke 3:14

The soldiers came to John and asked why they must do, John responded by saying, “Don’t be violent to anyone, don’t lie, and be content with how much you’re payed.”  John told them to be pacifists.  Pacifism in Christianity is how we turn the other cheek without striking back.  It can’t be done in our own strength, I know my first instinct is to hit back and hit back harder, but it’s not the right attitude, if I am being persecuted for my faith I’m not called to hit back, I’m called to show God’s love.  If I’m witnessing with violence the only way people are coming to the faith is by being scared.  In the middle east (Extremist Muslim area) are they winning people to Islam with love?  No with terror.  Next was to not accuse any falsely.  I see this all throughout the Bible.  Don’t lie, don’t bare false witness, so forth and so on.  False accusations ruin reputations.  Jesus was murdered due to false accusations, Stephen was martyred.  Godly pastors have lost churches due to false accusations.  No one likes a liar.  This one kid back home lies all the time about his parts breaking at the bicycle shop I work at, and tries to get them warrantied.  Do you think my boss likes it?  Do you think the company who manufactures and sells the parts like it?  No even them as unbelievers hate it.  No one likes a liar.  Finally John tells them to be content with their wages.  This one really hit me.  I know I would complain about my hourly rate quite often.  I didn’t think for the amount of work I was doing, that I should have been payed the amount I was at Chick-Fil-A.  I was being payed more than a lot of people there, but still I wanted more.  I was nothing but selfish.  I was being an entitled, spoiled, brat.  I see it now, but I was so blind before.  And when I thought I was being under-payed do you think I was doing my 100% best work?  No, I was not.  John says to be content with your wages.  I needed to be content.  If I’m payed two dollars an hour or one-hundred (that sounds nice), I need to be content.  I need to not complain and I need to show joy.  So today, I will be content with whatever I receive.  If I’m dealt the crappy hand than I need to be joyful and content.  Did God complain about dying on the cross for me?  No He did not and He for sure gained nothing, but a loss with me.  Why would God want to joyfully die for me a huge screw up?  It makes absolutely 0 sense to me, but I’m not going to argue with God.  Anyway I will be joyful in any circumstance I’m in, and if I find myself starting to complain I will sing praises to God out loud or in my head.