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 Who is watching what I do?
Does it really matter to anybody what I do, or what I don't do, because I am
only accountable to God, right? And unless I break the law, or directly
cause harm to somebody else, I am only hurting myself or putting myself at risk.
And in this free society, that's my problem and my own choice to make, right?
What do you think?
Shining as Stars
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my
presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will
and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become
blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved
generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out
the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did
not run or labor for nothing.”
-
Philippians 2:12-16 (NIV)
 Politicians are
always in the spotlight. They know that whatever they say and do is
examined and scrutinized under the media microscope, and is analyzed by numerous
pundits. How they vote on issues, how they handle themselves in public and
in private, and even what they did in high school or college will come back to
haunt them. At the end of the day, bad choices made in the past can ruin
their careers. Nevertheless, politicians do determine their own fate, but
not necessarily the fate of the people around them. A new politician will
be elected, and life goes on for the rest of us.
But what about Christians? We
have repented of our sins and have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, so our
gift of salvation and eternal life is sealed by the sacrificial blood of Christ.
Unfortunately, we will continue to sin and repent, but our salvation remains.
While a politician can lose office, Christians cannot lose salvation. So
who does our sin hurt?
Unfortunately, the sin of a Christian mostly hurts the
people around him, especially the people who have not accepted Christ as Lord
and Savior. A non-repentant, sinning Christian becomes a negative witness, and rather
than glorifying God and drawing people to Christ, people may be turned away from
Christ. Instead, Christians are called to "Shine as Stars", as in the
passage in Philippians above. We are set apart to be different, and to
make a difference in the world for Christ.
"But you are a chosen
people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light."
- 1 Peter
2:9
So the question remains, "Who is
Watching?" Here are Some Examples:
Consider this
hypothetical situation:
It has been a busy and stressful day, and you are waiting in an airline
terminal for your flight. Catching up on some reading, you try to
ignore the people around you. However, you can't help but notice a man
who sits down across the seats from you. He is possibly a foreigner
and is dressed strangely, and you notice an unpleasant smell coming from his
direction. You mutter an intentionally audible comment about the virtues of
bathing, and go back to your reading.
You hope that he is not on your
flight, and definitely that he is not sitting anywhere near you. In
fact, with smug indignation, you approach the airline representative at the
counter and demand that it be assured that you are not sitting anywhere near
that person, and that there should rules about proper hygiene on flights.
After all, you have paid good money for your ticket. You make sure
that your comments are clearly audible, so that certain "people" in the
waiting room might get the message and learn a lesson. Walking back to your
seat, you notice that the foreigner is reading a Bible. You think,
"What a waste. Give that Bible to someone who can understand it."
 Now, consider this passage from
Acts 8:26-38 (NIV):
Now an angel
of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he
met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the
treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to
Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot
reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then
Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the
prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How
can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited
Philip to come up and sit with him.
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."
The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking
about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very
passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch
said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he
gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went
down into the water and Philip baptized him.
Imagine if
Philip had the attitude of the hypothetical person in the airport above.
What if Philip was having a bad day? Rather than being receptive to
the questions of a stranger, he would have shunned the stranger in a rude
and ugly way. There would have been no opportunity to share about
Jesus. In that situation, Philip may have been the best person to be
able to explain the scriptures. That opportunity would have been lost,
and the Eunuch would have suffered the consequences, not Philip. Furthermore, even if there had been an
opportunity to explain the passage from Isaiah, how convincing could Philip
have been after displaying such bigotry and hatred? As Christians, we
are called to share our faith with anyone, including strangers and people
that might seem different to us. And this must be done in a spirit of
love and obedience to God.
Another Example of "Who is Watching?":
Our Children
While the example above focused on negative behavior, we can exhibit many
positive and constructive behaviors around children.
"These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and
when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write
them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
- Deuteronomy
6:6-9 (NIV)
What are some
things that can be done to impress our faith in Christ upon our children, who
are always watching us?
-
Maintain an active relationship with
God, and don't hide it from your children. Make going to church
and Sunday School a priority. Let your children see you reading
the Bible and doing Bible study. Show them that God is of the
highest importance in your life.
-
Involve your children in prayer and
in your prayer needs. Have the whole family pray together, and not
just at meal times. Emphasize that prayer is our way of
communicating with God, who loves us and listens to every concern we
have, no matter how small.
-
Live out your Christian faith through
servanthood. Involve your children in your acts of service and
encourage to become servants themselves. It is truly beautiful to
see the children who have been active participants in Vacation Bible
School and in Upward sports become helpers, coaches, concession stand
workers, etc. when they are too old for those activities.
-
Don't confine worshipping God to your
own church. Worship during family vacations when out of town, or
simply when you feel blessed.
-
Be obedient to God. Let your
children know that your actions are not done just out of goodness or
following the law, but instead that you are following God's commandments
and God's Word.
-
Participate with your children in
random acts of kindness toward others. Emphasize that it is the
love of Christ that motivates you.
These
are just a few examples of how we can put Christianity on display for our
children to see and be involved in. Other children and families will
see this also, which might lead to questions about our faith, what church we
attend, etc. In those cases, don't forget 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV):
But in your hearts
set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But
do this with gentleness and respect.
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