Is it Best? Does it Build? Does it Bless?

When I was a teenager, I sometimes wrote articles for a newspaper produced and distributed to Christian teens across the country. One of the articles I wrote was titled, "Is it Best? Does it Build? Does it Bless?"

I wrote the article as a 16 year old, but the principles are as timeless as the Word on which they are based. Some of the following is taken from that article, along with more current illustrations and commentary.

In my junior year of high school Bible class, I was privileged to have a teacher who knew the value of scripture memory in the life of his students. Each week that year, we wrote a set of two to four verses on 3x5 cards and each Friday had a quiz over not just those verses, but a cumulative quiz covering all the verses for the semester. We carried those cards around and continually poured those verses into our minds. One set of those verses still rings in my mind when the right circumstances arise.

Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 through 13:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:"

"...for the edifying of the body of Christ...", what a powerful statement. These gifts of ministry were given to build up, and lift up the body of Christ; in other words, the believers who make up "the body". We see another verse, in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, in which he explains that while some are boasting and lifting up themselves in pride, he and those with him were only interested in edifying the believers there in Corinth.

II Corinthians chapter 12 verse 19:

"Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying."

Whatever you spiritual gift(s) may be, what do you do with them? Do you use them throughout the day as you encounter believers? How do you act toward those to whom you should be knit in friendship and love?

What are you words? What are your actions?

As you go through the day, you have many decisions. You wake up, and you have a decision, whether you realize it or not. Will I choose to be cheerful today, no matter how I feel, or will I choose not to think of that and just act however my flesh "feels"?

You are on your way to work and someone cuts you off in traffic. They were wrong and both of you know it. How do you choose to react?

A co-worker takes credit for your work. What do you say to him/her? What do you say about him/her to others? And so it goes.

Here are the real questions you must ask yourself.

First, "Is it best?" Is my reaction to circumstances the best that it can be? In today's world people often say, "What would Jesus do?" Now, I won't debate the over-use and commercialization of that phrase right now, but the gist of it is, did you do the best thing in a given situation? Did you do the highest thing, the most edifying action you could take?

Secondly, "Does it build?" Some teenagers I know were once having a discussion in the car, and one criticized her brother and belittled him. Her older sister, wanting to be helpful, and caught up in the moment, blurted out, "Edify, Stupid!", to her sister! Not the most spiritual thing to say, and a bit of an oxymoron, but she had the right idea! She was attempting to admonish her sister to say things that would be edifying, or build up her brother, rather than tear him down. Do your actions "build" or "tear down" others around you?

Third, "Does it bless?" Is what you are doing or saying a blessing to God?

II Corinthians chapter 2 verses 14 through 16 says:

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?"

A sweet savour comes from the picture in the early days of sacrifices and incense burning in the temple. The smell of each was sweet to Jehovah and satisfied His desire to have fellowship with His people. Are you a "sweet savour" to God by the actions and words that you demonstrate to others throughout the day? "Does it bless God?"

Remember, your actions are your choice. No one makes you react a certain way. Do circumstances influence you? Of course they can, if you allow them to. Does the flesh influence you? If you allow it to. Do the world and satan influence you? They can, but only if you let them.

Romans chapter 6 verse 2 says,

"God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

The greek words that are translated, "God forbid", are mei genoita, which can be translated, "let it never be!". If we are truly believers, we are to be dead to sin, and not live our lives be captivated by it. We have received power, because the Holy Spirit lives in us, to live a life that is "best", and "builds" and "blesses", but we must choose to allow the Spirit to live through us as we edify others.