“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3) “For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3) “And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the LORD GOD.” (Ez. 20:44) “Therefore thus saith the LORD GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name.” (Eze. 39:25)
These are just four, search the Scriptures and you will see what is important to Almighty God, He is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) His name, His glory will not be besmirched, His name is to be exalted above the heavens, (Psalm 57:11) and it is your responsibility to do so. The individuals that many of us have difficulty understanding are not the lost, we expect the behavior they extol, they follow after their own lustful desires, the flesh and self above all are the most important items to them. It is those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord but will not speak His name in public, those who keep silent when His name is blasphemed, those who love the account of David and Goliath, but will not stand much less go forward to the battle.
There have always been individuals like this, those who cannot understand that it is the Lord God they are representing and that only for His namesake. Many today have devolved into nothing more than a polite, never offending hypocrite, concerned more with their appearance in front of others than their stance before Christ. They have misplaced their loyalties, they have forgotten whom they serve, they have neglected their duties. The Lord God does not lead His children so that they can have a nice comfortable life with all the accoutrements of the world, so that they can lead happy lives with no fear of trouble or turmoil, He is not here to make sure everything goes well with you, He is here to glorify His name. Yes He loves you, yes He cares for you and has prepared a place for you, but it is His righteousness, His Holy name that is at the forefront of every dealing with you.
What good does it do to say you are saved if you never speak to others about Him, what purpose do you serve if you never lift up His name outside of your own mind or at best in the songs you sing at church. I firmly believe that many people who believe they are saved actually are not, it is nothing more than the deceit of their hearts, (Jer. 17:9) the trickery of their emotions. No fruit can be seen or shown, (John 15:2) works of the Spirit of God are absent from their lives outside of themselves, they are good, honest caring people, and they are on the path to damnation. “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14)
Look upon yourself here, how many people have you led to Christ, how many people with your words have you led to the cross and watched them make a decision either for or against Jesus Christ. Not by your day to day actions of just being a good, upstanding, prudent member of society, not by just leaving a tract somewhere on a grocery store shelf and then walking right past that person you could have handed it to with a desire in your heart to reach them for Christ, for His name sake alone. How many have you knelt with, prayed with or for in their presence. “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” (Matt. 13:8)
Is it a requirement for you to reach others for Jesus Christ, is it an obligation, or are you one of those who believe that ambassadors are sent only to keep silent. Some will say, “God has blessed us with a wonderful day,” but they will not ask if that person if they know Jesus Christ as Lord, they will proclaim, “It is in God’s hands” but they will not ask if the person has a personal faith in Christ. Fear brings shame, ask Adam if you get a chance to meet him, but in this scenario it can be a sign much more disastrous, it can be proof that this individual is not truly saved, that all they have is a feeling, a deceit of the heart, they have no visible proof that they truly are sons and daughters of the Most High. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20)
You must be part of the vine to produce fruit, and fruit is not going to church or feeling good about Jesus, fruit is people being brought to the knowledge of the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. Many there are that are deceiving themselves, they have trusted in their own heart, a heart that will lead them astray every time. (Prov. 7:25) Visible actions are the determining sign of a born-again believer, words are the way we bring others to the cross of Christ, His words are what bring them to the knowledge of the saving grace that is available to all. If you are not studying to show yourself approved, (2 Tim. 2:15) you do not know these words, if you are not going out into all the world and proclaiming His name, then you are disobedient, if you have more fear of the possible repercussions of men than you do of a Holy and Righteous God, they you are probably not saved.
You are the only one besides God who knows who you are, you are not the only one though that can see what you are doing and saying about Him, all who know you will be your judge in this matter. I fear for many, their words do not lift up His name, their lives are a charade, a false front of a supposed faith that they can show no fruit of. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Prov. 11:30) At best these will be ashamed at His coming, (1 John 2:28) at worst they are deceiving themselves, and do not truly know Christ as Lord.
