For All The World To See

All throughout his primary schooling he had endured horrific situations and had been forced to keep it a secret from everyone outside his family.

Matthew 23:1-12

Reference: v.5a “Everything they do is done for people to see…” (NIV Bible)

Explore: I was recently talking to a child who had come into the state foster care system at the age of thirteen.

While this is not unusual, it means that for over a decade this child had been suffering abuse from his family with no one detecting there was any problem.

All throughout his primary schooling he had endured horrific situations, and had been forced to keep it a secret from everyone outside his family.

It reminded me of how little we know of others when we only look on the surface.

Application: Jesus observed the actions of the leaders of the church in His time and saw through their religious façade. While they paraded their beliefs around for all to see, it was Jesus who pointed out that they did things for show rather than with a heart for respecting God.

While it’s easy for us to point the finger at these leaders, it’s a challenge for us not to walk the same path. All we have to do is meet someone who really gets under our skin and suddenly the gossip and the bad thoughts feel justified.

It is not easy for us to life lives of integrity, but it is a way of being that we should all aspire towards.

Prayer: Lord, there are many injustices done in this world that people have justified. May we stand up for injustice and continually strive to have integrity in all we do. Amen.

On a scale from 1-10, where would you rate your integrity at this moment?

abuse, beliefs, integrity, Matthew, secrets