Someone’s always watching

By David Jeremiah, Voices Contributor Saturday, October 19, 2019

Terry Brubaker was driving near Gloversville, New York, when she saw $20, $50, and $100 bills flying into her windshield like confetti. She pulled over and began collecting the money, which amounted to roughly $6,600.

Without even considering her options, Brubaker went straight to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office to turn the money in, and arrived just as the owner of the cash, Kim Steenburg, was filing a report. Kim had lost her husband in a car crash. She’d withdrawn the money so she could go on their honeymoon cruise and scatter her husband’s ashes at sea. But she’d accidentally left the money in an envelope on top of her car.

One simple act of honesty meant the world to another person. On a planet where virtue is in short supply, we’re thrilled to hear of someone who possesses such integrity. Stories like Terry’s inspire us. And they remind us that we, too, can live with and reflect back to our Lord the godly virtues He has given us.

In 100 Bible Verses That Made America, Robert Morgan wrote about President William McKinley, a dedicated Christian. When McKinley became president, he maintained his Christian testimony. One Sunday a fierce political opponent attended McKinley’s church to spy on him dur- ing worship, expecting to find some trace of hypocrisy or showmanship. The man later wrote:

I watched the President. I watched his face while he sang; I gave close attention to his countenance and attitude during all the opening ser- vice, and his interest in the earnest words which were spoken before the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered. And after a while, when I saw William McKinley get up from his place and go and kneel down at the altar, humbly, with the rest, and reverently take the Communion, and then, when he arose, quietly wipe away the traces of emotion from his eyes, his whole attitude countenance and attitude showing the deepest religious emotion, I confess to you that I felt a great change coming over myself, and I said to myself, “A country which has a man like that at the head of its affairs is not so badly off, after all.”

People are watching you all the time. They’re watching you at church, on campus, in the gym, in restaurants, at the office, in the factory, at the store. Perhaps some are hoping to see you mess up, lose your temper, cheat, cuss, or cut corners. But truly, I believe most of them are longing to see an honest person. A virtuous person—a person they would like to emulate in their own lives. You can be that person.

So, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue. Make it your purpose this week and start today. As we’re told in Colossians 1:9-10, “We . . . do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.”

This is an adaptation from Dr. Jeremiah’s upcoming book, “Everything You Need.”

David Jeremiah is among the best known Christian leaders in the world. He serves as senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California and is the founder and host of Turning Point. Turning Point‘s 30-minute radio program is heard on more than 2,200 radio stations daily. A New York Times bestselling author and Gold Medallion winner, he has written more than fifty books.