A few 'truth-rumors' we need to share

Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. (Proverbs 26:22)

 A rumor is something put into general circulation without confirmation of the facts behind the message. Considering this, do you ever wonder how so much stuff gets into general circulation without someone taking the time or effort to confirm it? I think it is probably more than we realize. Everyone wants to "out-scoop" the next guy. Someone has to be "first" with the "big story" - not just on TV news, but also in real life day-to-day interactions. People just want to be "in the know" about the other guy, the latest event, or the way-out-there thing that just happened. Mom always used to teach, "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all." Sound advice, but I think many folks operate more on the "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, I am all ears"! Did you ever stop to consider that almost no one gossips or spreads rumors about someone's good virtues? They almost always pick the "bad stuff" - because it is "juicier"! Don't you wish people would spread truth-rumors about all the character CHANGE God has worked into your heart as freely as they would latch onto the one thing about your character God is still working on right now?

Alice Duer Miller reminds us: "If it is very painful for you to criticize your friends - you're safe in doing it. But...if you take the slightest pleasure in it, that's the time to hold your tongue." If the words we are about to share touch upon the character trait still "under construction" in another's life, judge how much it concerns you to be sharing those words. It is not as much a focus on the words shared, but on who it is you are sharing those words with - someone who probably doesn't need to know that 'truth' about that individual! If you find it hard to criticize a friend - you are safe doing it - as long as you are doing it to their face, in love, and with God's leading! If you are about to criticize them behind their backs, you are really just spreading dainty morsels that eventually will sink deeply into your heart and become a deeply rooted critical bent toward that individual.

Someone once said, "The easiest way to keep a secret is when you don't have any help doing it." Share something and you run the risk of it no longer being a secret. If you have a trusted friend, it is likely you share things with this individual which you might consider "knowledge" about you that you'd rather others not know - like those "under construction" areas of your character. It stands to reason we need to be cautious about what we share and to whom we reveal the secrets of our heart, right? I don't think just anyone has a right to know the inner workings of my heart - but I can trust God with them and a few others he has placed in my life as accountability partners. God doesn't bless who you pretend to be - he blesses who are not afraid to be. I think we need to evaluate the words we are speaking a little closer some times. If we find ourselves frequently gravitating toward pointing out the "under construction" areas of another's life, we probably need to evaluate the "why" behind that urge. Maybe it is time we shift to pointing out the virtues of another - even if we have to look pretty deep to find them. God isn't looking for pretenders - he is looking for truthful witnesses. Just sayin! 

Closet Christian?

The Temple of God in the Old Testament became the place where God could meet personally with his people. Today, the 'temple' is not a building - it is his people. Instead of one locale for his presence to inhabit, there are millions and millions of temples - his people. His presence inhabits his people and in turn, his presence is free to explore the world through us! God's temple needs to be seen - to be an impact on the world. Light isn't meant to be hidden, my friends - it is meant to illuminate - to expose and show the beauty around it.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. (Luke 11:33)

Prayer is one means of us bringing light to the world, but it isn't enough. God isn't asking for his church to be 'shy' about their faith - we are to be bold in our prayers. The presence of God inhabits his temples - when we become visible, his hope is presented to the world. Before long, people will begin to be impressed upon your heart - people you are supposed to be praying for. When those times come, begin to pray and believe for God's power to shine forth from his 'temple' in order for the needs of that individual to begin to be met.

One of the greatest things the 'temples' of God can do is to begin to love a very unlovely world. Sometimes we would rather just 'pull in' and not be 'in the world'. God never asks for us to be 'of the world', but he does encourage us to be 'in the world'. Why? We are the living, breathing temples of his presence - we bring his presence into those places where we have a sphere of influence. Believe it or not, we might just be bringing his light into places where we don't even know we have that sphere of influence. You never really know the power of living as a light in this world, but God knows!

A changed heart - a new life - is the result of people being able to experience the presence of God. Why did Jesus ask his disciples to take the gospel message to the furthermost parts of the earth - to all people everywhere? He knew the way people connect with him is by being able to experience his presence. We are inhabited by that very presence - we are the means by which the world begins to experience the truth and reality of God. To hide our light under a bowl is silly. To be 'closet Christians' is really selfish - because God has changed our lives so that we may begin to bring that light to others. Just sayin!