False Advertising

 

	“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
	—1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

I remember the unpleasant experience of driving behind a small car which spewed a pungent odor into the air. The car sported on its rear bumper a slogan which read, “Protect the Environment!” Years later, while waiting at a stop light, I saw a very dirty white van drive by with the business name on the side, “Compulsive Cleaners.”

Both of these experiences reminded me that, as Christians who shouldn’t be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, we ought always to live according to the brand we carry. When we slip-up or sin, we bring shame on the Lord to whom we belong. Though we often do sin, we should set an example of humility and Christ”s love to others by confessing our sins and seeking to make things right.

Recognizing the tightness of the bond that binds us to our Savior, Paul admonished the Ephesians—and us as well—in Ephesians 4:1-2:

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

People watch Christians to see whether their lives stack up to their confession. Those on the outside of the church like to complain that the Body of Christ is full of hypocrites. We should be careful to not stoke that fire!

We can accomplish the goal of truth in our “advertising” by coming to the Lord in humility every morning, confessing that we can never live the Christ-life without Him.

We desperately need God’s Holy Spirit to indwell and control us throughout every day, so that our lives, like a book that others read, will be lived to the praise of His glory!