If you know you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, especially in a habitual way – wake up! Take this as your warning. Accept the guilt and don’t damage the reputation of Jesus by stubborn disobedience.
SHAUNA: Hi there, this is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope with a pretty personal story from our friend, Joni.
JONI: And it harkens back to high school, a time when [I must admit] my walk in Christ did not match my talk. Oh sure, I professed to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, but I remember in high school going to at least one party where I should not have been. There were some pretty wild kids at that basement party, the lights were dimmed, the music was loud, the place was crowded. A classmate glanced across the room, and he caught my eye. It was a guy from my algebra class, and he looked shocked to see me there. He elbowed his way through the crowd and said to me with surprise, “What are you doing here?” And right away, I felt convicted.
Because we both knew that he wasn’t a follower of Jesus, but we also both knew that he took me to be a solid Christian. He had seen me carry my Bible. He had seen me pray with my Christian friends in the cafeteria. I had even invited him to my church youth group. But the look he gave me? That look of surprise and bewilderment, like, ‘What are you doing here? Well, I felt so ashamed. I don’t know what lame excuse I gave him, but the damage was done. He considered me just one of those partygoers. I was like everyone else; I was one of them.
Reminds me of Obadiah 1:11 where the men of Esau were scolded for being like the foreigners who ravaged Israel. And God said to them, “When my people were invaded, you men of Esau, you stood aloof, refusing to help them. Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you people, you acted like one of Israel's enemies.” There you have it. Because the men of Esau acted like an enemy of God’s people, they were considered to be “one of them,” one of the others, one of foreigners, one of the sinners. The tone of that passage in Obadiah is one of reproof. Actually, God’s giving them a scolding. And it’s exactly what I needed that night when I acted like an unbeliever. But I’ve got to ask myself, do I really want to be like “one of them?” an enemy of God’s people? No, of course not, and it’s why I high tailed it away from that basement party, putting as much distance between it and me as I possibly could. Because it’s one thing to engage a partygoer in the hallway of my high school, or in the lunch cafeteria, but it’s quite another thing at a party where my actions were damaging the reputation of Jesus.
When you and I claim Christ, and yet sin willfully [and maybe even publicly], our sin is especially grievous. It’s a double offense because we are supposed to know better. We’re the ones who have the Holy Spirit residing within us, guiding and warning us. As Christians, we already know how much we’ve been forgiven. We know we are much delivered, much instructed, much enriched, and much blessed. It’s why when we sin and sin publicly, it’s a double offense. It's especially grievous to God. Because friend, we should know better!
So, if you are experiencing the reproof or the scolding of God for some disobedient action – if you know you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, especially in a habitual way – wake up! Take this as your warning. Accept the guilt, and the feelings of guilt that go with it. Don’t damage the reputation of Jesus by willful, stubborn disobedience. Make sure your walk is measuring up to your talk because the good name of your Savior is at stake. So please, don’t put yourself in a situation where the Holy Spirit has to ask you, “What are you doing here?”
SHAUNA: Be sure to visit joniradio.org today.
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