Acts 20:20-21 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Paul had a very public ministry, not because he was trying to be seen so much as because he wasn’t hiding anything. That’s quite a contrast to some today who are very public on media, but behind the scenes get involved in all sorts of things. Not everyone is called to public ministry but everyone is called to be open and honest, transparent in what they say and do so that Christ may be seen through them. As the song says, “Let others see Jesus in you.” What we say sometimes isn’t as important as how we say it, and our lives must always be congruent with our words. The phrase, “Do as I say, not as I do,” is sadly well known, and all too common in actual practice. Any disciple of Jesus Christ is to be the same in public and private, living out the faith they proclaim. We may feel we don’t have much to say, or that we aren’t worth looking at, but as Paul pointed out to the Corinthians, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) If you feel you aren’t much, then good! Let people see that God can use someone who isn’t much to reflect His glory. The point is to be open and honest about it all, not trying to take credit for the good stuff or escape responsibility for our mistakes. The more we are focused on Christ, the less we will be concerned with how people see us.

I have always been something of a compulsive sharer, telling people things about myself when they probably didn’t really care. I’m told that’s not unusual for MKs/TCKs because we can have trouble making real connections with people, and everyone needs to be connected. The problem is that I have sometimes made problems by telling things about other people that they didn’t want shared, and that has occasionally made for broken relationships. I am to be open and transparent, but I’m not to force others to be likewise. I need to remember that people don’t need to see or know me, they need to see and know Jesus, and I’ve got to be out of the way for that to happen. If I will remember that and live that way, then people will be drawn to Christ through me, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for that reminder. Thank You for last week, when Cathy and I weren’t here for the service, and that we are here today. I pray that I would be fully transparent, not just in the message but in every detail, to that Christ alone may be glorified. Thank You. Praise God!