“They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ!”
Ephesians 4:19-20
The soccer world is all abuzz thanks to the breaking scandal about FIFA, the world governing body for soccer. The US government has brought charges against a score of top soccer officials, claiming bribery and corruption in the process used for awarding tournaments to cities and countries for awarding broadcast rights to media outlets. Even some star players have been crying out for years for something to be done about a culture of corruption. One south American star, Diego Maradona, said, “I was treated like a crazy person” for voicing allegations of corruption. (Philadelphia Inquirer, May 28, 2015, p. A8)

Ethics is the application of our beliefs to our actions in life. As Christians, we are called not only to affirm a belief in Jesus Christ but to order our lives around that belief living as followers in all that we do. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul was warning the Christians in Ephesus to be sure their lives were aligned with the faith they professed. His words apply not only in 1st century Asia but throughout history.

Too often, Christians have separated church from life, barricading their faith behind stained glass barriers that limit matters of faith to Sunday morning and meetings in church buildings. But that is exactly the opposite of wha Christ intended. The teachings of Jesus are designed to shape our daily life, and Sunday morning at church is a time to be strengthened and supported as we prepare to go out into the world. It is there, in our Monday through Saturday lives, that our faith is most important. It is in how we live our daily lives that the world will see Christ and come to know the truth about God.

The scandal at FIFA involves many people from a variety of nations, but a significant portion are men from South America who, in all likelihood, are professing Christians. What does it say to the world that they were willing to engage in such scandalous actions? How might we order our lives to show the truth of Christ and the love of God eery day? How might we order our worship to be a source of strength and support for the living of each day in the world?
Prayer: Almighty God, I am weak, but I rejoice that in your power and with the support of my brothers and sisters in faith, I can live a life that brings honor to you. Let my life be a window that allows the world around me to see who you are. May I proclaim my love for Jesus Christ not with words alone, but with every action I take each day.   Amen.