Who are you when they do not see you?

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"Reputation is what men think of us: character, what God knows about us." (Thomas Paine)

Despite the responsibility of being a model and reference to those led, the concern should not be to preserve good testimony only when we are seen. It is possible to have deviations of conduct outside of surveillance, but to live in a theatrical way before observers.

A popular and ancient definition is: "Character is what you are when no one is looking." Who are you when no one is looking? "Doubtful behavior, with different behaviors when there is or not, reveals the need to truly work on the character.

Arthur Schopenhauer stated:

"Men show their character more clearly in trivialities, when they are not being observed."

Moses was an example of a great leader. Certainly, it can be considered the greatest of the Old Testament. However, he had to deal with the same kind of weaknesses and limitations as ministers of all times, such as the prophet Elijah - of whom the Word of God affirms:

"He was a man similar to us, subject to the same feelings" (Tg 1.17).

These two spiritual giants were used by God in an extraordinary way does not nullify the fact that they were men. They also needed to be worked by the Lord, just as you and I need.

Observe an episode in the life of Moses:

"In those days, when Moses was already a man, he went out to his brothers and saw their painful lips, and he saw that a certain Egyptian was beating a Hebrew, one of his people." He looked from one side to the other, and, seeing that there was no one there He killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand, and he went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting, and he said to the guilty one, "Why do you beat your neighbor?" Who answered: Who made you prince and Judge over us? Do you intend to kill me, how did you kill the Egyptian? "Moses feared and said:" They certainly discovered it. "Informed of that case, Pharaoh tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh's presence and stopped on earth. of Midian, and he sat by a well. "Exodus 2.11-15

Note the phrase "I looked from one side to the other, and seeing no one there, killed the Egyptian." Why did Moses look sideways? Do you think that if there were witnesses he would kill the Egyptian? It is clear that no!

At that time, having or not public determined the behavior of Moses.

Many times we act in a similar way. However, if you would not do something in front of others, you should not do it when you are alone. Yes, what you attend in a hotel room when you are alone, would not have the courage to attend with someone at your side, so it is obvious that you should not be attending alone.

The courage of Moses, to kill the Egyptian, came from the lack of witnesses. The same happens today. We believe that if nobody is watching, nobody will know. But the biblical text teaches us that even what we believe no one has seen will be discovered. An easy lesson to learn with the Egyptian's corpse, which did not remain hidden.

DO NOT LIVE ON THE BASIS OF MEN'S SURVEILLANCE

Character has to do with the values ​​we cultivate in the intimate, which we force ourselves to practice even without anyone to observe.

He who stops doing evil just because he is being watched is not concerned with character, but only with reputation, that is, with what they think of him. I quote here a good distinction between character and reputation that I heard from my friend Danilo Figueira, pastor of the Christian Community of Ribeirão Preto:

"What I am in the light determines my credibility, what I am in the dark determines my authority, before men we need a reputation, because it brings credibility, but before God, what counts is character, that is where authority comes from.

Zelar for reputation is good, we can not speak against that. Even because the Word of God teaches us to give value to it:

"A good name is better than much riches, and to be esteemed is better than silver and gold." Proverbs 22.1

The New International Version (NIV) brings the following version of this verse:

"Good reputation is worth more than great wealth, enjoy good esteem is worth more than silver and gold."

A good name (or good reputation) is one of the greatest treasures we can cultivate. However, it must be an extension
character, and not a way to deceive those who can not see inside. Jesus confronted the Pharisees, repeatedly, because of that. He taught us that a good reputation without character does not go beyond hypocrisy!

"Be careful not to practice your righteous deeds in front of others to be seen by them, if they do, you will have no reward from the heavenly Father" Matthew 6.1

Obviously Jesus does not speak against being seen by men, since, in the same Sermon on the Mount, he had already said that our good works, when seen by men, can lead others to glorify God.

"So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5.16

Jesus faced the Pharisees for the fact that they only did good because they wanted to be seen by men. They were only building reputation. They would not do in secret, in the private, what they proposed to do in light, in public.

The same teaching is found in different parts of the Holy Scriptures. Look at what Paul talked about the behavior that the servants should have:

"Slaves, obey your landlords in everything, not only to please them when they are watching, but with sincerity of heart, for the fear of the Lord, whatever they do, do with all their hearts, as for the Lord, and not for Men, knowing that they receive from the Lord the reward of inheritance, it is Christ the Lord, that you are serving. "Colossians 3.22-24

Notice the phrase "not only in their favor when they are watching." It indicates that the Christian's productivity should not improve only when he has an audience. For this reason, he adds the phrase "but with sincerity of heart", he denounces the pretension when it is only to be seen. Next, the apostle leads us to the understanding of which character: "Whatever you do, work hard with your whole heart, as for the Lord."
Thats the secret!

I can not avoid evil or dedicate myself to doing good only when I am seen by men. Although nobody looks at me, God sees. And it is to Him that I must dedicate myself to honor and please.

With this in mind, follow the biblical example of Joseph's integrity:

"And after a certain time, the wife of his lord began to covet him and invited him: 'Come, take me with you!' But he refused and said: "My lord does not care about anything in his house, and he has left everything to my care." No one in this house is above me, he did not deny me, except the lady, Because he is his wife, how could I then commit something so wicked and sin against God? "Thus, although she insisted with Joseph day after day, he refused to sleep with her and avoided being near her. to do his homework, and none of the employees there was in. She grabbed him by the cloak and invited him back: 'Come on, take me with me!' But he fled from the house, leaving the cloak in his hand. "Genesis 39.7-12

I learned a lot from José's behavior. He was not worried about his reputation, what men would say about him. Otherwise he would have taken advantage of the "opportunities" that had to sleep with Putifar's wife. Not least because I had the "perfect environment" for the slide when I was alone with her at home. None of the employees was there. It would be, in evil perspective, the "perfect moment" to do that without being seen by anyone else. But the Bible reveals two important lessons about the attitude of the man of God

1. He refused to sleep with her and ...
2. Avoid being close to her.

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The decision to refuse to sleep with that woman shows integrity. Since the decision to avoid approaching her reveals the recognition of her fragility. Recognizing the danger of falling leads to vigilance. The Word of God warns that whoever plays with fire ends up burning:

"Can someone put fire on the chest without burning the clothes? Can you walk on the embers without burning your feet?"
Proverbs 6.27,28

I believe that when the Sacred Scripture records that Joseph fled the house, he points to a prudent attitude, but his own prudence reveals that the temptation was present. I do not think Jose fled with fear of being raped by the woman. I think he flees to avoid getting pregnant in a malignant tie that presented itself in a very attractive way. I think the man of God fled from himself!

Joseph wanted to please God. He did not speak only of sinning against his Lord ground, but against the Lord of Heaven: "How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?" .

Here is one of the high points of the lesson that Joseph teaches: It does not matter if there are human witnesses or not, the eyes of God are upon us.

THE GOD THAT EVERYTHING SEES

When Adam and Eve sinned and believed they could hide, they forgot the God who sees everything.

When Moses looked from one side to the other and was encouraged to kill the Egyptian, because there were no witnesses, he forgot the God who sees everything.

When David sent Bathsheba to the palace, he forgot that although Uriah, her husband, did not discover the true fatherhood of the child generated in an adulterous relationship, there is a God who sees everything.

When the Bible speaks of Jesus with eyes like a flame of fire, in the letter to the Church of Thyatira, he is referring to the fact that He sees sin and deals with it:

"To the angel in Thyatira: This says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze: I know your work, your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance and your last works, more numerous than But I have against you to tolerate that this woman, Jezebel, who declares herself a prophetess, not only taught, but I seduced my servants to practice prostitution and to eat things sacrificed to idols. She repented, yet she does not want to repent of her prostitution: behold, the prose of the bed, as well as in great tribulation, those who commit adultery with her, if she does not repent of the works she incites. Churches will know that I am the one who probes minds and hearts, and I will give to each one according to your works. "Revelation 2.18-23

The concept of a God who sees everything is not limited to a God who manages to stay well informed, but to what He will do with what He sees. We all give an account to the God who sees everything. This is a greater truth and clearly taught in the Word of God, which also teaches that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere, and pay attention to each
Man's step - not just a few:

"And there is no created thing that is not manifest in his presence, on the contrary, all things are naked and open to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an account." Hebrews 4:13

"The eyes of God are on the ways of man and see all his steps." Job 34.21

"For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he considers all his paths." Proverbs 5.21

"The eyes of the Lord are everywhere contemplating the bad and the good" Proverbs 15.3

The reason why the Bible emphasizes that God sees all things refers to future accountability. That is, we can even believe that much of what we did in this life will remain eternally secret, but that is not true. The day will come when all that was hidden will be brought to light.

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EVERYTHING WILL BE DISCONTINUED

Nothing we do hidden will remain hidden ... one day everything will be revealed!

I learned of a pastor, many years ago, about who weighed accusations and moral suspicions. His leadership called him several times to ask for clarification, and he always denied everything. On one of those occasions, the leaders insisted that he was honest, that he opened his heart about his real condition, so they could help treat him and restore him. However, he continued to deny the defamation. Until someone in that meeting room, regretting said: "We do not want to get to that point ..." when he started a television to watch a video. Surprise! One of his last immoral acts, which he believed to be a secret, had been filmed without his knowledge. The scene was displayed in front of him and his leaders. The flagrant occult filming was something he would never have dreamed of. What a shame!

Certainly, that minister would never have done what he did if he imagined the possibility of being filmed. The fact is that everything we do is being recorded, although not by a video camera or any other technological device that we know.

I think of that episode as a parallel of what one day will happen to us. There is nothing hidden that will not be discovered, it was the same Lord Jesus Christ who declared:

"Therefore, do not subject them, for there is nothing concealed, that is not revealed, or hidden, that is not known." Matthew 10.2

Moses hid in the sand the body of the Egyptian he had killed. I do not know how it was discovered. When I was a child and my father told the biblical stories, I always played that Moses forgot the big toe of the Egyptian's foot out of the sand. Or then he suggested that the wind could have moved it and exposed the hidden corpse. I do not know for sure what happened, but I am sure that Pharaoh's adopted grandson never believed that his crime would be discovered.

Similarly, many people "sweep dirt under the carpet", thinking that it will always remain there. Big mistake! God said, by the prophet Nahum that he would "lift up the garment" from the city of Nineveh:

"Behold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, I will lift the wings of your skirt over your face, and I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.

The meaning was obvious, explained by the text itself. The Lord would publicly show the nakedness that Nineveh wanted to keep hidden. God was going to expose his shame. I do not think that kind of trial is limited to only one city, in antiquity. In truth, that kind of judgment is part of a pattern revealed in the Word of God.

IMMEDIATE AND NOT IMMEDIATE JUDGMENT

Not everything we do wrong will necessarily be exposed immediately, or even in this life. Some things take to come to light. Others may only be revealed on the day of judgment. And the Bible shows the distinction:

"The sins of some men are notorious and lead to judgment, while the other will only manifest themselves later."
1 Timothy 5:24

What, exactly, leads each type of sin to be revealed sooner or later, I do not know. I prefer to credit this in the account of the sovereignty of the God who knows very well everything he does. The truth is that everything will be judged, although it may happen at different times in the lives of people.

One of the reasons I distrust that judgment does not always happen immediately is God's expectation of repentance. An example can also be found in the letter to the Church of Thyatira, in the Apocalypse, when the Lord rebukes a woman who is called Jezebel:

"I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her prostitution." Behold, the prose of bed, as well as in great tribulation those who commit adultery with her, if she does not repent of the works she incites. your children, and all the churches will know that I am the one who probes minds and hearts, and I will give to each one according to your works. "Revelation 2.21-23

Many do not understand divine longanimity and interpret it as impunity. God said that before bringing judgment, there is time for repentance. That is to say, one of the reasons for the judgment not to be immediate is the divine mercy. James, the Lord's brother, says that "mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). We can say that the trial precedes, so that it is not necessary. But when mercy is despised, judgment will certainly manifest.

Regardless of whether people repent or not, which would determine the immediate or subsequent judgment, the Holy Scriptures teach that God will judge the secrets of men:

"The day that God, through Christ Jesus, will judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel ..." Romans 2.16

Yes, that same thing that the apostle Paul is affirming. The secrets of men will be judged! This implies that they are first revealed, before receiving the manifestation of the judgment.
More than reputation, we must demonstrate character - what we should be the eyes of God, even if nobody else
see us That is to say, we must live consciously that God always sees us and what we are, we must be because of Him, not of others, whether they see us or not. First for love, but also for deep fear and sense of responsibility.

"We should be more concerned with a noble and wealthy character than with a good reputation." Popularity can be reached very quickly, but a noble character is the product of years of divine training and discipline. "Smith Wigglesworth