A Good Witness
By Mike Rule

So many times we get so concerned about our witness as Christians. We want to be very sure that nobody could ever say anything bad about us that would jeopardize our stand for Jesus! We diligently seek to avoid any hint of a situation that might tarnish our spotless reputations. We repeatedly hear it taught in church, too.

Was Jesus really concerned about having a good witness? Well, let's see. He hung around with the low lifes of His day: fishermen and tax collectors. He was often seen with prostitutes and women of questionable reputation; He was sometimes even found alone with them! He was a rebel because He went against the system of His day and made the church leaders look like fools by revealing their hypocrisy. And He was a homeless wandering vagrant who was often surrounded by beggars and the sick.

So who is it that cares about having a good witness? Only those who are concerned about their own image. Here's a simple test.... How would we feel if one of our brothers or sisters in Christ saw us walking out of a sleazy hotel with someone of the opposite sex who wasn't our spouse? We would care a great deal wouldn't we! I know I would. But why?

I would care because I am concerned about man's opinion more than God's. I've been in situations that were very compromising to my reputation and my witness. I know how much I care about what man thinks, even though I knew I was totally innocent before God. Yet I also knew I was put in those situations because God had a purpose and an agenda which far superseded my own reputation or even His own.

Are we willing to be freed of our image? Are we willing to stand blameless in God's eyes even if we stand condemned in the eyes of men? It is my fervent prayer that we will be willing to trust Jesus no matter what it looks like, even if it destroys our "good" reputation.