Not withholding the Good News

When on holiday probably you may meet different people on places where you have not been before and where you shall not come again soon. It are places where probably nobody knows you. When you are there it is with your attitude, your example, the way you treat others around you, how you act and speak that you shall give an impression of what and who you are.

Geographic features of Southern European countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea

When being a Christian it is very important that you give others the right impression. The last few weeks from the South of Europe we got a lot of images in the new of protestors against the many tourists who behave badly. Over the years we also have seen pictures of visitors to those places in the South of Europe behaving badly, which makes us understand why so many of the locals are fed up with those impolite visitors, drunkard and order disruptors. A big problem with the consumerism and growing tourist industry is that at many places some hotel-owners think they have to provide enough entertainment for their customers and provide all day long noise which may disturb the local inhabitants.

‘National embarrassment’: Ding Jinhao, from Nanjing in east China’s Jiangsu Province, wrote: ‘Ding Jinhao was here’ over hieroglyphics on the wall of an ancient Egyptian temple in Luxor

At the coasts of Europe we do find many places where there is a lot of noise going on until late at night, with all sorts of events which disturb not only locals but also several other people who came to have some rest.
Many tourist places also have problems with vandalism and litter from tourists. This not only a problem for Europe, as we can see how many cultural and important historic sites are damaged by visitors.

Banners reading ‘No tourism apartments’ hang from balconies in Barcelona. Photograph: Albert Gea / Reuters/Reuters

As Christians we should show our respect to the inhabitants of the places we are going to visit and should treat those places with respect, having eye for nature and keeping those places clean and not making unnecessary noise.

But at those places where we come it would not be bad to be a witness of our faith and to show others how when we all would come under Christ could be living in a peaceful world full of respect for all around us.

In the Holy scriptures we are counselled fair dealing with our fellow-men. When we are able to travel we should be pleased that we can belong to those who can afford it. In the Book of Proverbs we can find the precept that expresses the great Scriptural thought that the so-called possession of wealth is but a stewardship; that the true owners of what we call our own are those to whom, with it, we may do good. Not to relieve them is a breach of trust.

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.” (Proverbs 3:27 NIV)

Summer Visitors by Maurice Prendergast (1897) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At our holiday resort we should show the right attitude and may not withhold good from those to whom it is due. When it is in the power of your hand to do good, to help others, to give some extra, you should do it. But this is not only for material wealth. You also can contribute with spiritual help. You can use the occasion to talk about your believes and to show your faith to others. At those resorts, hotels, campings or places where you stay to relax you make take advantage of your free time to share your faith with others. Sharing is part of showing your love for others. Sharing the Good News of the coming Kingdom is a necessity. We do have to warn people of the coming dangers. We should make them aware of the coming Great War, a horrible situation wherefore we should prepare us, making sure that we shall be spiritually strong enough to stand the many temptations, dangers and horrors. “A warned man is worth two” you should think and out of love you should warn.

You should remember the sayings from the Bible, the Law of God. You should remember what you have heard in your ecclesia (or church) and faith community. You also should practise what you remember and let all obedience be from the heart.

“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.” (Proverbs 4:5 NIV)

“Let thy heart keep my commandments.”

“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden.” (Deuteronomy 4:23 NIV)

When we are there at those places of holiday making we should not forget God but be with Him and trust Him. All actions we undertake should be in praise of the Most Highest. And how can we not do it with spreading also His Words? There, for sure, there shall be moments to chat and to have little conversations also about what you believe, where you stand for, and how you have put your hope on the son of God and are looking forewards to his return.

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Preceding articles

Summer time to spend some more time at the growing process of your faith

Christians having the right heart to call others to go to God

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach?

Glory of God appearing in our character

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Additional reading

1. Loving and having respect for the woman
2. Respect for all
3. Is being a humanitarian enough to convey the full love of Christ?
4. 7 Ways To Become A Better Christian
5. Crisis man needed in this world
6. Daring to speak in multicultural environment
7. How long to wait before bringing religiousness and spirituality in practice
8. Looking for True Spirituality 7 Preaching of the Good News
9. Looking for True Spirituality 8 Measuring Up
10. High time to go out telling the world about Jesus
11. Beautiful feet of those who announce the good news
12. Preaching by example
13. A Christian has to have eyes and ears and a tongue to use in good ways
14. Proclaiming: a task given to Christians
15. Go! Proclaim! Testify!
16. Go and make disciples of people of all the nations
17. Scriptures and Thoughts about: Proclaim
18. Preaching Christ Is Not Enough
19. To proclaim the day of vengeance
20. Witnesses of Christ and of his gospel
21. Witnessing because we love

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People walk past grafittis reading “Come on stand up great star hunters” written on the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in the Montmartre area in Paris on March 19, 2014. (AFP Photo / Martin Bureau) / AFP

Further reading

1. Fire in Greek refugee camp was intentional and will happen again: Eyewitnesses (Middle East Eye)
2. The Tinderbox That Is The Balkans
3. 7 cringe-worthy cases of tourists defacing natural and cultural landmarks around the world
4. ‘Ding Jihao was here’: Chinese tourist, 15, defaces 3,500-year-old Egyptian temple and his family issue national apology
5. Vandal tourist seen destroying pieces of Great Wall of China by kicking it Kung-Fu style
6. China instructs its citizens on how to behave abroad
7. Ancient Egypt Temple Vandalized by Chinese Tourist Graffiti
8. Barcelona anti-tourism activists vandalise bikes and bus
9. Damaging selfie: Student breaks 19th century statue in Milan while taking pic of himself
10. Gov’t slammed over reaction to Irianna verdict, Athens vandalism by protestors
11. “Go away!”, frustrated Venice locals tell tourists
12. ‘F**k tourism’: Vandals deface Paris’ Sacré Coeur basilica
13. Vandalism and tourism settings: An integrative review
14. Rome, Italy
15. 5 Things to do in Rome | Fariha Ansari Javed
16. When in Rome don’t sit, dip, eat, drink in fountains
17. A weekend in Venice
18. Abruzzo. The Italian region ready to be revealed
19. Discover Malta
20. Malta & Gozo
21. Portugal
22. How to mimic George Clooney’s motorcycle adventure through Spain
23. Visiting Lisbon last year
24. E28 Tram Lisbon: tourist jam
25. Meteora, Greece
26. Athens, Greece
27. A few hours to spare in… Athens
28. France and its Fantastic Summer Festivals!
29. 5 Ways To Travel Smarter In Vietnam, And Have Stories To Tell Back Home
30. A tourist in the U.K.
31. Touristing!
32. Volunteer Vs. Tourist
33. The (Not-So) Lonely Traveler
34. 20 tourist traps to avoid in Europe — and where to go instead
35. Three teens identified in Boston-area Jewish cemetery vandalism
36. FBI Reviewing Islamic Cemetery Vandalism In Castle Rock
37. Bucharest, Romania: A Sort of empty feeling
38. Regina cenotaph vandalized with graffiti
39. Graffartists are not people
40. What is Respect Nowadays? (1 min read)
41. Do to others…
42. Agape

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