"Transparent"
Early for my lunch appointment, I was enjoying the quietness of my commute despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Suddenly, the ringing of my cell phone broke the silence. I answered it and heard my sister's cheerful voice say, "I've been waving to you for the past 5 minutes! You must be lost in thought!" "Where are you?" I asked. "In the car in front of you," was her incredulous response. I hadn't seen her waving because her rear window is darkly tinted.
As the body of Christ, we're called to live in community with one another. The idea of people watching us or knowing about the junk in our lives can make us uncomfortable. But being known by others is necessary, not only to meet our basic relationship needs, it also affords us a measure of safety from the enemy's devices.
Ananias and Sapphira had a well-known problem. They lied about giving all the proceeds from the sale of their property to the church. Judgment came because they pretended to be something they weren't. Playing a role to imitate the sincerity of those around them (Acts 4:34-37), they forgot that God knows the true condition of our hearts (Proverbs 24:12).
Believers who take seriously the presence of the Holy Spirit living in them recognize the following: Transparency means . . .
• pursuing "holiness and sincerity in all our dealings" (2 Corinthians 1:12).
• being honest with others about where we are spiritually (Ephesians 4:25).
• being willing to be admonished by those who love us (Proverbs 27:6).
Tinted windows may keep our cars cooler by allaying the sweltering summer heat, but tinted lives leave us open to the enemy. , Regina Franklin, Our Daily Journey
CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org
Early for my lunch appointment, I was enjoying the quietness of my commute despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Suddenly, the ringing of my cell phone broke the silence. I answered it and heard my sister's cheerful voice say, "I've been waving to you for the past 5 minutes! You must be lost in thought!" "Where are you?" I asked. "In the car in front of you," was her incredulous response. I hadn't seen her waving because her rear window is darkly tinted.
As the body of Christ, we're called to live in community with one another. The idea of people watching us or knowing about the junk in our lives can make us uncomfortable. But being known by others is necessary, not only to meet our basic relationship needs, it also affords us a measure of safety from the enemy's devices.
Ananias and Sapphira had a well-known problem. They lied about giving all the proceeds from the sale of their property to the church. Judgment came because they pretended to be something they weren't. Playing a role to imitate the sincerity of those around them (Acts 4:34-37), they forgot that God knows the true condition of our hearts (Proverbs 24:12).
Believers who take seriously the presence of the Holy Spirit living in them recognize the following: Transparency means . . .
• pursuing "holiness and sincerity in all our dealings" (2 Corinthians 1:12).
• being honest with others about where we are spiritually (Ephesians 4:25).
• being willing to be admonished by those who love us (Proverbs 27:6).
Tinted windows may keep our cars cooler by allaying the sweltering summer heat, but tinted lives leave us open to the enemy. , Regina Franklin, Our Daily Journey
CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org
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