“You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the days are coming when whispers will be repeated all over town.” (Luke 11:3 MSG)
Jesus is calling for congruity of character. He’s asking that our private life would hold true to the same values and principles as our public life. And He points to a time when our private whispers will be made plain.
I can’t help but wonder if we are hedging closer to such a time. With Alexa in the kitchen and our facebook app always listening (you haven’t noticed?) what level of privacy are we actually maintaining these days? We see it on the news: email leaks and surveillance camera footage. No one is immune to watchful eyes and attentive ears. We are creating so much new data each and every day, a simple search history will tell the world where we’ve been and what we’ve done. I wonder, is there gap-age between our saying and our doing? Are our private lives congruent with the message of our public lives? If not, the truth will eventually come out, either in this age or in the next.
One of the things I pray for and work towards is consistent character. It’s my desire that any cross-section of my life would hold to my values. That a fly on the wall in my home would find me living out the same things I preach on Wednesdays and Sundays. I still fail often, but I’m learning.
The thing is, we all stink at this in our our own flesh. We require the Holy Spirit’s supernatural enabling because it’s a lot easier to preach the word than it is to live it out in our own story. We see the Pharisees tout religion but we know just how dark their hearts had gotten. The spirit of religiosity is contagious! Self-righteousness is highly infectious! That’s why Jesus warns so sternly against it: when religion slips in, relationship steps out of the room.
It’s not about looking holy but actually being holy. And only humility plus divine proximity will produce actual holiness.
“My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene.” (John 13:11 MSG)
Lord, only You can help us align our public and private lives. May we bow low as You come close. Point out our inconsistencies. Speak to us and strengthen us in the face of temptation. Guard us against religion, but may relationship take center stage. Help us live like you in the open but also behind closed doors. Amen.