By Joe Chesser
In my last article I wrote about how God’s “All-Seeing Eye” is always watching each of us. Nothing any of us does, or even thinks, is unnoticed by God. This can be both comforting and intimidating.
While this is absolutely true, we need to be reminded that God is not the only one watching us. People all around us are seeing almost everything we do. They can’t know what we are thinking, but they certainly can see the evidence of what is in our minds by what we do and by what we don’t do.
• If you are married, your spouse is watching you. Other than God Himself, who knows you better than your spouse? He/she sees the kind of person you are when you first wake up in the morning, what to expect from you when you get home from work, – when you watch football, how you drive, how you spend your money, how you feel about God, how you feel about your children, your job, and your church. Generally speaking, your spouse is watching you more closely than anyone else other than God.
• Perhaps a close second to your spouse are your children. They watch you every day and are learning from you how to live life: how to treat a spouse; how to treat neighbors; how to handle stressful situations; how to be honest; how to train children; what you watch on TV; how you act at the Little League games; how you are involved at church; etc.
• Your neighbors are watching you. They see how you take care of your property; if you are regular church attenders; they hear the kind of language you use, especially with your family.
• Your friends are watching you.
• Your enemies are watching you.
• Your co-workers and bosses are watching you.
• The people in line at WalMart are watching you.
• The driver in the car behind you is watching you.
• The fans in the stands are watching you.
• People at church are watching you.
It’s obvious isn’t it? If the “All-Seeing Eye” of God that sees everything we do isn’t enough incentive to live in the best way possible, then we should be convicted by the fact that everyone around us also sees how we conduct ourselves in all kinds of situations. Our culture is attempting to be focused on individualism. It tries to tell us we can live isolated from the rest of the world. As long as I live in a way that pleases me, all is good. But, even as self-focused as we try to be, even as detached from the rest of the world we may think we are living, the truth is that God and everyone else is watching us, seeing how we choose to live, and being influenced one way or another by the choices we make.
So because people are watching us, God wants us to live better lives. We are challenged from the book of Ephesians alone to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4.1). We must no longer “walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds” (Ephesians 4.17). We are to “walk in love as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5.1). “Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5.8).“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5.15). Why? “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2.10). (emphasis mine).
Yes, Jesus wants us to be lights in this world for Him so that we may not only have a positive influence on everyone around us, but also to give glory to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5.14-16).
Not only is God watching us, people are watching us too!
|
No comments:
Post a Comment