Over the last month or two, I have really been hit hard about how important our Christian witness is to those around us. I have had several instances where I have observed or seen or overheard things from Christians which do not line up biblically. One example was when I saw someone from our church throwing the F word around on their Facebook posts. There have been several other instances when I was just plain disappointed in seeing what I saw or hearing what I heard. In my mind, I consciously marked those people off my list as someone I would go to as a spiritual peer.
However, therein lies the difficulty for me. Was I judging them? We are called not to judge in Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV) which says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” On the other hand, in James 5:20 (NIV) it says, “…Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
As I debated between these two extremes, conviction began to sweep over me. Had I ever said a bad word? Have I ever done something that didn’t line up with biblical standards? The answer was yes and unfortunately yes.
I think the point that I came to was that we all fall short of the glory of God. We all mess it up. However, I think we should always be mindful of our actions, because whether we realize it or not, people are watching. We have Christian friends who are watching us to see what we are doing. We have children who are modeling what we do or the way we act or saying what we say. We have non-Christian friends who are watching us to see how we might be living life differently. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:15 (NIV), “but just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.” I believe that is what we should be striving for.
Most recently, I saw a Christian friend share a blog post which I did not feel was biblically sound. Basically, I felt the writer was picking and choosing which parts of the bible were comfortable and denouncing other parts which were not so comfortable. It is one of my worst fears to misrepresent the bible or God in some way on this blog. Matthew 12:36 (NIV) says, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken.” James 3:1 (ESV) really scares me too when it says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” I really do think I take it very seriously. Anyone can write words, but I want to write what God wants me to say.
I was reading my bible last night. As I was reading, I was also thinking and praying about this blog. My fear of false teaching was heavy upon me. This other woman thought she was right on her blog. The bible says that my thoughts are not His thoughts in Isaiah 55:8. This task He has given to me is a big one. I began to ask God in prayer that I wish I knew if He wanted me to continue to write. It is a huge responsibility. It was then that I realized I had read half a page of my bible, and I didn’t even know what I read. I refocused my mind and the next verse I read was, “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, Write…” I paused in disbelief. I guess He never ceases to amaze me. I will do what He asks and prayerfully write what I believe He has called me to write. My hope and prayer is that I will beware of my own witness. That I will present this blog as an offering before the Lord. My prayer for all of you would be that you will be strong in the journey. We must never lose sight of the truth of God’s word. If we start to give more weight to society or a blog or opinions over God’s word, we are deceiving ourselves.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
Proverbs 16:25, ESV