By Martha Fick, Good Samaritan – Mission Effectiveness
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (Revelation 22: 18-19 ESV)
The local school had the policy that parents were to call the school if a student was to be absent for the day. Little Sven, deciding to play hooky and go fishing with his friends, waited till his parents had left for work. When they were both gone, he called the school himself.
“Hello, I am calling to report dat Little Sven vill not be in school today because he is sick.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” the secretary responded. “I’ll note his absence. Who is this calling?”
“Vell,” said little Sven, “dis is my father.”
We hear a lot about identity theft, with someone pretending to be or speaking for someone else. Sadly, God has had an ongoing problem with identity theft. Many people claim to represent Him, but some don’t do it accurately.
It’s easy for persuasive people to declare that God says something is wrong, even though the Bible doesn’t say it is wrong; or to declare that something is OK even though the Bible speaks against it. In the end, though, God will have the final say.
The Bible tells us that because of God’s grace, we have been accepted by Him as part of the body of Christ. To be chosen by Him, to serve as His hands and feet, and to share His love with others is a privilege beyond imagination. But with that privilege comes the awesome and sobering responsibility of representing Him correctly.
Do we “speak for God” to say what we want to say or are we humbly and prayerfully listening to hear what He is saying to us? Do we really want to know the truth of His word or are we using Him as a platform to say what we think?
Lord, we want to represent You correctly. Forgive our mistakes of the past. Take away our pride and willfulness. Help us humbly listen to You and study Your word so that our words and actions will be pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.