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Friends United Meeting |
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October 2001
Valiant for Truth
Reflecting God in All We Do
By Trish Edwards-Konic
Smile! You're on Candid Camera!
These were the opening words on an old TV program that featured real people getting fooled by wacky stunts and being filmed without their knowledge as they responded.
People across the nation would roll with laughter at the mailbox which rejected all mail placed in it, or the guy changing into superman in the phone booth—and at all the astonished expressions of those captured on film.
The program ended with a warning that you may never know when you might be on Candid Camera.
If you are a Christian, here is news for you. You too are being watched by those around you. Christians are people trying to stand and walk straight in a world where others are bent and twisted from the crippling effects of sin. Christians are obvious. The very Light we embraced for our own salvation emanates from us, illuminating the miserable condition of those around us. This can often make us a target for their uneasiness, even though they, and sometimes we, don't comprehend it.
We are being watched as we face our daily challenges. Any person who does not know Jesus Christ will judge the validity of Christ on the basis of what they see in our lives. People often look for an excuse to reject Christ and they are just waiting for us to give them one.
They are hoping to see our faith burn out. They are hoping to see us wilt and bend over in defeat.
They are listening to every word and looking for the opportunity to say, "See, they are just like us, only self-righteous."
"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," (Philippians 2:14-16) Paul writes.
There is no such thing as a hidden Christian. It is in our new nature to shine like stars in the universe. It is our old nature to argue, complain and fall short.
When the people in your life point the Candid Camera toward you, what will they see? Will they see arguing and complaining? Or will they see the Light of Christ shining forth?
Copyright (c) 2001 Friends United Meeting
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