There were some verses from the Psalms this morning, in Psalm 69, that gave me pause. Sometimes, even when I do not feel close to God, my prayers can run along these lines.
"Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
O God of Israel."
I guess it is kinda like the doctors in the Hippocratic Oath, to do no harm. I have prayed many times, when facing some decision, that I was not sure of the right thing to do, but I just did not want to lead anyone else in the wrong way. I did not want to someone on the wrong path, just because of the way they heard me or saw my actions.
Perhaps that might be thought of as egotistical in that anyone would watch me anyway, but I have always felt that, if you professed to be a Christian, people would watch to see what you would do. This would be in good situations, where they might be uplifted, and bad ones, where they might be able to criticize God, because of seeing you in some hypocritical action.
My prayer has been not to be a stumbling block in the path that anyone else is taking in order to know or follow You. Please don't let my words or actions cause a brother to err, or cause a seeker to not find the Way.
I guess I could just hole up and be a hermit. Then I could not do anything that another could use to discredit God and His people, but, then, maybe just being out of society completely would be enough to cast dispersion on Him.
Our pastor often says "I'm just one step away from Stupid", and I know the feeling.
Please God, don't let me take that step and injure Your work or Your People.
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