Our shoes can be laced in over 40,000 different ways (this site has 62 of them (https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacingmethods.htm)–have you ever thought about the best way to lace your shoes? Most of us have not. It isn’t really important to us and what we are doing works fine so why change? One following Bushido, however, seeks the right way in everything:
“In bushido, Righteousness reaches everything. There is a “right way” for the simplest of activities. It is the way of both gentleness and power. It is a maximization of good effect with a minimization of effort, cost and negative impact. There is a “right way” to tie your shoes, go around a traffic circle, place your order at McDonald’s, greet a friend, correct a colleague, fire a pistol, read a passage of Scripture, conduct a dinner, run an experiment, dress your child, sharpen a sword, write a contract, sing a song, honor your marriage, serve your country and pass from this life to the next.” https://tek-dev.typepad.com/twentysomethingss/2014/12/the-christian-warrior-lessons-from-bushido.html
Precepts of Bushido often seem strange to Americans—Who really cares how your shoes are tied? This is because of differences between Western Philosophy and Eastern Philosophy. While Christianity is often thought to be a Western religion, we must remember that Christianity is neither Western nor Eastern philosophy. It is its own thing. The Bible disagrees with some aspects of Western Philosophy and agrees with some aspects of Eastern Philosophy and vis versa. While to my knowledge, there isn’t a Biblically right or wrong way to tie your shoes, there is definitely a right way to live and a right way to treat others.
Often, we are apathetic about change in our lives. We simply do what we have always done. When provoked or angered, we handle it as we have always done (maybe by yelling, maybe with sarcasm, maybe by ignoring it). We need to concern ourselves with the Biblically best way to handle these situations.
In Ephesians 4:20-24, Paul gives us instructions regarding taking up a life of righteousness. Notice the progression Paul describes:
- Hear the truth (4:20-21)
- Lay aside wickedness (4:22)
- Be renewed in your mind (4:23)
- Put on a new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness (4:24).
It is only when we hear truth and act upon it that we begin living righteously. Notice there is a change in mind and a change in behavior. There should not be a divide between what we think and what we do.
Paul goes on to give several examples of this process in Ephesians 4:25-32. Notice a few:
- We turn from falsehood to truth (4:25)—This change occurs because we recognize the damage of lies and that they should not have a place in our lives.
- We turn from anger to control (4:26-27)
- We turn from stealing to benevolence (4:28)
- We turn from speech that tears down to speech that builds up (4:29)
- We turn from bitterness to forgiveness (4:30-32).
Basically, a foolish and/or sinful activity is not just avoided, it is replaced with something beneficial to others. This is the path of righteousness.
Paul continues into Ephesians 5:1-21 to focus this path on the ways of God. God is the only one who can declare what is righteous. His standard is the only one that is important. So we strive to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). We are trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:10), and we are trying to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Notice what Paul says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” We must examine our walk to consider if we are walking in God’s paths or not. Are we living the best way we can possibly live?
In Ephesians 5:22-6:9, Paul explains what righteousness looks like in various relationships:
- The husband-wife relationship (Ephesians 5:22-33)—A husband-wife relationship displays righteousness when the husband loves and protects his life and the wife respects and submits to her husband.
- The father-child relationship (Ephesians 6:3-4)—A father-child relationship displays righteousness when the father brings the child up in the training and admonition of the Lord and when the child listens and obeys his or her parents.
- The employer-employee relationship (6:5-9)—While Paul uses the terms master and slave. The type of slavery he is referring to is more like our employment situations today. This kind of relationship shows righteousness when the worker is obedient, the boss is kind, and both render service to one another as they would to the Lord.
Striving for Godly righteousness should affect every relationship we have. It must also be noted the requirement to act righteously is not removed when the other party acts unrighteously (cf. 1 Peter 2:11-3:9). When is the last time you considered how you are treating your wife or your children? Do you work as though working for the Lord?
For further study on righteousness behavior consider regularly reading the Proverbs as teaching righteousness is one of the state goals of the book (Proverbs 1:3).
In addition, consider teaching some of the principles in this lesson to your family as a devotional (or a series of devotionals) and doing some of the following activities with your children to help teach them the concept of righteous living:
Flee From Unrighteousness (Excerpt from To Train Up a Knight)
- Establish a home base (a blanket or a chair or something your son can run to) and put your children at a reasonable distance between you and the base. You are “Mr. Conscience.”
- To play, have one of your children ask: “What are you thinking, Mr. Conscience.”
- If you say something that is good and righteous (e.g., I’m thinking about prayer, I’m thinking about helping someone), your children take a step towards you.
- If you say something that is unrighteous (e.g., I’m thinking about lying, I’m thinking about being a bully), they run towards home while you try to tag them before they get there.
Father Says:
- Play the game Simon Says as the caller (be tricky and silly).
- Then, ask them some of these questions:
- Did you find yourself doing something with your body that you didn’t really intend or didn’t want to in your mind
- How did you avoid being tricked?
- What ways does Satan try to trick us into doing wrong?
- How can we avoid his tricks?
- How can we use our hands for right? for wrong? Continue with feet, mouth, ears, and eyes.
- How can we change our thoughts and actions?
All Shook Up (https://childrensministry.com/indoor-games-faith/)
- Play this game outside because it’s messy. Form groups of four, and give each group a can of a diet lemon-lime soft drink. Have groups each pass around their can as each person shares an example of something that makes them really angry-and shake the can a couple of times.
- Then have each group toss the can quickly from person to person as they tell what they do when they get mad. The person who first drops the can must open it.
- Ask: How was what happened to the insides of the can like or unlike what happens to our insides when we get angry?
- Read aloud Ephesians 4:26.
- Ask: Does this verse say it’s a sin to be angry? Why or why not? What does this verse say to do with our anger? How do you think God wants us to deal with our anger the next time we’re ready to blow?
- Say: Let’s ask God to help us with our anger.
By Jeremy Sprouse
Jeremy has been married to Erynn since August 1999. They are blessed with six children: Jaden, Isaiah, Isaac, Ean, Joseph, and Evelyn. Jeremy preaches for the Patrick St. church of Christ in Dublin, TX and is the author of To Train Up a Knight.
Other lessons in this series:
- Spiritual Bushido
- The Way of Righteousness
- Heroic Courage
- Benevolence
- Respect
- Honesty
- Honor (coming soon)
- Duty/Loyalty (coming soon)
- Self-Control (coming soon)
Knights of The Father 