He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight. – Luke 16:15

Today's Scripture Reading (December 6, 2020): Luke 16

Public relations is all about convincing people that we are something that we are not. At least, that is the way that it seems sometimes. It is about convincing others, and maybe even ourselves, that there is something worth redeeming in us or what we are doing. The problem is that, at the end, when we are tired or disappointed, who we are usually wins out over who we want to be.

Jesus tells this strange story about a dishonest business manager. The dishonest manager is about to lose his job because of his wasteful behavior, so he decides to settle debts with people who owed his boss money for pennies on the dollar. The reason for this course of action was that the manager believed that then these people would be indebted to him and be willing to help him when the manager lost his job. The manager's problem is that his actions validate the reason that he is losing his position in the first place.

The manager's campaign was meant to make him popular with this group of borrowers, but Jesus's point is that God knew his deception and that it was God's opinion that was more important. Comforting words and a quick smile might win over the hearts of people, but God judges us on a different set of criteria. And the truth was that the manager's actions were carrying him farther away from God.

Your public relations campaign might make you honored among men, but eventually, the truth usually wins the day. And even if you do succeed with people, God sees the you that exists at the core of your being, the you that is left untouched by all of your efforts to impress. It is who we are at our heart that matters and that shapes our actions.

Our daily duty should not be to try to impress people, but rather to honor God who sees who we really are. And if we are willing to confront who we really are, God promises that his grace and mercy will be extended to us. And honoring God is something that a public relations campaign can never accomplish.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 17