Under Surveillance

This may come as a surprise to you, but Christians are being watched. We’re being watched very carefully all the time, especially by nonbelievers.

And they’re not exactly rooting for us. They kind of like it when we mess up because then they can say, “You see? That’s why I’m not a Christian.”

Yet when a believer goes through difficulty and gives glory to God, it’s a powerful witness to a watching world. Take Paul and Silas for example. They wound up in prison for preaching the gospel, and they had an especially cruel jailer. But there in that dark, damp dungeon, Paul and Silas sang praises to God at midnight.

The jailer had never heard anything like that. And ultimately it resulted in his believing. He said to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30 NLT).

Not only do nonbelievers watch Christians, but younger Christians watch older Christians. They’re wondering, “How does an older believer deal with the onslaught of age or illness or the loss of a spouse? How does an older believer deal with uncertainty and unrest in our culture?”

They look to older believers for inspiration and an example. As they should.

One day those younger believers will be the older believers, and they’ll model the same thing for the next generation.

Do you think Job knew that one day we would study his life? I think he just experienced it all in real time and was honest in the way he reacted, yet here we are still talking about him today.

Therefore, would it you give you a measure of comfort to know that by the way you face your hardships, challenges, and trials, you’re giving hope to others? God uses these things in our lives for His purposes.