Digging Deeper – November 21, 2023
You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
James 5:8-9 (NLT)
ON CAMERA
One of my guilty pleasures is to watch videos on YouTube. But not just any videos. I love dashcam videos. In these videos, people are not expecting cameras, so they often misbehave, thinking there is no accountability. They cut people off and make rude hand gestures. Sometimes, they even jump out of their cars to confront other drivers. The road rage is wild in some videos! The funny thing is that sometimes a driver will be raging, and the person in the car with the camera will point to the device. When the other driver sees it, their demeanor changes. It’s as if they are suddenly replaying everything they just did and don’t like what they see.
It is the realization that they are being seen that changes them. In today’s world, it seems like we should always expect to be on camera. There are cameras in stores, on streets, in doorbells, and on the dashboards of cars on the road around us.
The verse above says, “Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!” I get the picture from this of being back in elementary school, and the teacher leaves the room for a minute. There is always a kid or two that will use the opportunity to misbehave. But sometimes, the teacher comes in quietly, and the kid acting up doesn’t see. That moment of realization that they have been caught is what I get from this verse.
How would we act differently if we were more aware that we are seen by God? It should change everything about our day. And based on the verse, it should significantly impact how we treat others.
Live today like Jesus is watching.
Chris Boggess is the Next Generation/Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.