You Are
Being Watched!
It is good neither to
eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your
brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak
(Romans 14:21).
It is easy to forget that
none of us live in isolation. Every one of us has
contact with others who are affected by who we are, what
we say and what we do in many ways. Sometimes, we don’t
even begin to realize to what extent we influence others
for good or evil. Very occasionally, we get positive or
negative feedback that alerts us to the fact that what
we said or did helped or hurt another person. But
because this happens so seldom, we easily fall into the
trap of thinking that what we say or do does not matter
as long as we are OK with what we are doing.
The fact is however; that
everything we say or do has an impact on someone else.
That circle may be as small as those in our household,
but normally it will extend way beyond that to our
acquaintances, colleagues, brothers and sisters in the
church and our neighbors. This effect often extends even
to others we have never met, but who have heard about us
from others. Of course, the more time we spend with a
person, the greater our influence, but sometimes we have
an effect on a person who may only have crossed our path
for a brief moment. Every one of us can remember how we
have been encouraged or discouraged by some fleeting
contact with a stranger. I remember how, on one of my
first trips to California, a total
stranger came up to me in a store and just began to chat
to me about nothing in particular. I don’t know if he
was a Christian or not but I do remember how he made me
feel at home in a strange country, far from my family.
What made that brief encounter even more valuable was
that he wanted nothing from me except to exchange a few
words with a stranger.
What impact are we having
on those we come into contact with every day? Are we
helping or hurting? Are we leaving a lasting impression
of someone who has been with Jesus or are we leaving a
trail of people who are harder towards the Gospel
because of what they saw or heard in us? Often
supermarkets run promotions when they hand out samples
of some food product. They hope, of course, that once
you have tasted the product, you will buy it and of
course it works. Do people want more of Jesus or are
they put off because of the sample they tasted at your
hand? Are other Christians challenged to a deeper walk
because of the fragrance we exude or are they stumbled
because of the way we live, act and speak.
As a preacher, I am very
aware of the fact that people often make decisions with
eternal consequences on the basis of my message and that
responsibility leaves me in a constant state of tension.
But it is not only preachers that have so much influence
– every one of us has. Ghandi, one of the people who
most influenced the world in the last 100 years,
believed much of the Christian message but rejected
Christianity because of how he saw Christians behave! I
wonder how many others have been turned away from Jesus
because of each one of us? Don’t tell me it does not
matter, that it is not our responsibility and that
people are just looking for excuses not to believe.
Jesus said, “but whoever causes one of these little ones
who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him
if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were
thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:24). This He said about
children, but it can also be applied to any one who is a
babe in Christ. We are all agreed that one of the lowest
forms of humanity is a child rapist, but is it not worse
to be the cause of a child losing the way to eternal
life by something we have done or not done? The
consequences of child being raped are terrible and last
for a lifetime, but the consequences of a child (or
anyone else) turned away from the Kingdom are far worse
and last for ever!
There are many things in
which we can cause others to stumble. This can range
from the brother who talks endlessly from the pulpit
without having anything to say, to the Christian who has
a bad testimony with his neighbors. But it our words
that cause others to stumble most often. James said: “in
many things we offend all. If any man offend not in
word, the same is a perfect man” (James 3:2). Paul says
we may have liberty to do many things because we are
under grace and there is forgiveness at the foot of the
Cross but that does not mean we can just blunder ahead,
oblivious to the trail of devastation we leave behind.
In the context of eating food presented to idols, he
says: “Do not destroy with your food the one for whom
Christ died” (Romans 14:15).
We should regularly take
stock of what impact we are having. Ask questions like:
Has my interaction with that person done everything to
draw him closer to Christ or has it driven him away? Oh,
that had a divine video camera that could play back some
of our contacts with others – our words, attitudes,
actions, lack of actions, hypocrisy, zeal or
lukewarmness, commitment, willingness (or lack thereof)
to make sacrifices, love for others, love for Christ,
love for His Word and the fruit of the Spirit or the
deeds of the flesh. These all contribute towards our
having a positive or negative impact on those around us.
No wonder we will give an account for every idle word!
Lord Jesus, please help me
to only do what You want me to do and to only speak
those words that You would have spoken had you been in
my shoes. Help me put a guard at my mouth and help me to
allow Jesus to be seen in everything I do. Forgive me
Lord for the many who have stumbled by my words, actions
and attitudes. Help me to never forget the immense
responsibility that is mine as I live my life before my
family, neighbors, colleagues and the church. Thank you
for your forgiveness but help me to not use my liberty
as an opportunity for the flesh. Amen.
Anton Bosch
anton@abcd.co.za
www.abcd.co.za/offi
www.abcd.co.za/plumbline
Tel 033 347 0463
Fax 033 347 0013
17 Frankish
Road
Pietermaritzburg
3202
South Africa