An Audience of One

What would you be willing to do to make a living? Let me rephrase that, what principles would you be willing to compromise to pay the bills? Christ followers are tempted daily to look the other way or accept a ‘little white lie’ to get by. It is our responsibility to say no when we are confronted with this type of behavior.

I have a friend who is a really good guy. He owns a thriving automotive repair business. He is not a Christ follower. As a matter of fact, he has great distain for most who call themselves Christians. Why might you ask, because they are Christians of convenience. He has told me many a tale about a Christian coming in and asking him to falsify a warranty document so they do not have to pay for a repair on their vehicle. I consider that despicable!

If you are going to talk the talk, you best walk the walk. Jesus told us this in Rev 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Think about what makes you spit something our of your mouth. Normally it’s nasty tasting or poisonous and often leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Imagine what our Savior thinks when He spits lukewarm Christians from his mouth. I shutter even considering His thoughts.

We have a responsibility to ‘do the right thing’ as Christ followers. Do not shirk your responsibility. We will all be accountable for our actions, all of our actions, one day. My grandpa always said, “You do right, you come out right.” I have found that old Ohio farmer knew a thing or 2 about the Lord and His ways, he never lacked for anything, at least nothing of importance!

Blessings

An Audience of One
by Os Hillman

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

What audience do you play to? Each day you are seen by many who will make a judgment about the way you handle yourself among different audiences. Politicians have learned to play to their audiences, customizing messages for the needs of their particular groups. Musicians have learned to play to their audiences. Pastors play to their congregations each Sunday morning. Workplace believers play to the audiences who will buy their product.

Christ has called us to play to one audience – the audience of Himself. When you seek to please any other audience in your life, you become susceptible to situational ethics and motivations based on the need for the moment. Your audience becomes a pawn in your hands because you know what they want. Is that wrong? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

Pure obedience to pleasing God in our lives will often meet the needs of those around us. It is God’s will that you and I love our spouses, provide good services to our customers, and look to the interests of others before ourselves. This will result in meeting many needs of the audiences in our lives.

However, there are other times when our audiences are asking for something contrary to God’s will. Politicians are often forced to appease their audiences, even though it may go against God’s laws. When we are asked to go with the flow, we discover which audience is most important in our lives. Is it the audience of One, or the audience of many?

Today, be aware of which audience you are playing to. Ask yourself why you are taking a particular action. Is it to please the audience of One? Or is it to please the audience of others who might negatively impact you should you not play to their tune?