GPP

We live in an increasingly selfish society; running on pleasures and fueled by self-promotion. As a result proper behavior and common courtesy ain’t so common anymore. People are rude, unmannerly, and inconsiderately carnal. Violating morality to have our own way. Insulting others to have a good laugh – and we think nothing of it. Propriety is one of the first things to go when flesh is King. But God’s standards haven’t changed. He still expects people to behave properly toward their fellowman. As Christians who are supposed to be counter to this culture – we should be God’s Proper People. Now, it’s not that we don’t have any ideas about what is proper or not – it’s that we have a bunch of wrong ideas. Acting properly is not a Southern thing, a rich person thing, a snewty thing, or an outdated British period piece thing – it’s a Godly thing. And for our study, it simply means treating other people Right. There are three main ways we do that : 1. Walking in Love 2. Yielding to the Spirit and 3. Christ-likeness.

Just basic Courtesy is the minimal level of walking in Love. If you lose love fro your fellowman, you’ve lst the foundation on which proper behavior stands. We must see that as love is all about the Other person – likewise your proper behavior is all about other people. You are performing the act but in your mind the other person’s benefit outweighs whatever cost you may suffer in the performing of it. It is not simply selflessness, but consideration, awareness and making room for other people that walking in Love instantly causes you to do. It is being courteous, showing respect and esteeming others better than yourself by how and what we say and do all the time. A selfish society doesn’t do this – but God’s Proper People excel at this. It is a mark of being true believers – we are to be known by our Love.

It is no coincidence that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love and He’s a Gentleman. Gentlemen are proper and the Spirit of God is the Proper Spirit. If the all-powerful, all-knowing Spirit of God can be a Gentleman, if a man or woman would yield to Him, wouldn’t that man or woman be a Gentleman of God or Lady of God. But we back away from that because we mistake gentle [like meek] for wimpy and weak. But gentle is not being weak and wimpy. For example, being gentle with a baby is entirely different from being gentle with a grizzly bear. If you’re grizzly bear gentle with a