“And the Father leaves all judgment of sin to his Son, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. But if you refuse to honor God’s Son, whom he sent to you, then you are certainly not honoring the Father.” (John 5:22-23 The Living Bible)
Not too many years after graduating from Indiana University, my father took a job as a District Manager with the major newspaper publisher in Indianapolis. He had a big area of responsibility, a large geographical territory, as well as a challenging responsibility to be profitable and he had to repeatedly deal with what I now know to be human resources issues involving the newspaper carriers that reported to him. While most paperboys liked my dad, as you can imagine there were some who saw him as being too dictatorial in the way that he demanded loyalty, reliability, and efficiency. My older brother and I were “recruited,” or should I say “required” to carry paper routes. In addition to our routes, when someone did not show up for work, we carried those paperboys’ routes too.
The paperboys who did not like my father’s management style or could not “get it through their thick heads” of how important their job was not only disrespected, despised, and sometimes deserted my dad. They also identified my brother and me at times with a certain disdaining remark, “Those are King’s kids!” We were conspicuous! In other words, we stood out and we were the subject of occasional teasing and even threats. But do you want to know something? We did our job! We fulfilled our duties! We helped our father, regardless of criticism, ridicule, or the cruel behaviors by certain paperboy peers or ex-paperboys who did not have a long tenure because of poor performance or personal preference. Let me say it again: “We were conspicuous!”
It is time for a challenge! As you go out today, a child of the King, one who can boldly approach the throne of God, “Father, I stretch my hands to Thee,” be conspicuous. Let it be obvious! Let it be clear! Live such on this day so that it is unmistakably evident that you have a heavenly Father, and you will continue to carry out your duties faithfully as the salt of the earth and the light of the world! Don’t worry about how others react to you or even reject you! Raise your head up high and be conspicuous! Reveal who you are in Christ Jesus! Reflect your faith in the fact that your heavenly Father watches over you, no matter what you are going through! Don’t hide your Christian character! Be transparent! Let people see the Christ who lives in you! Be conspicuous! Have a great Friday! Be blessed!
“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:15 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King