Have you seen those signs on the backs of commercial trucks and vans? They say something like, “How’s My Driving?” And there is a phone number to call and a truck/van number to report about “their driving.”
Why are these signs on the backs of the trucks and vans? The reason is that these trucks and vans represent the company that is plastered all over the sides and back of the vehicle. More specifically, the driver of the truck/van, whoever he is, is a representative of that company and their product. And the company knows that a bad experience on the road with one of their trucks (i.e., one of their drivers) is a bad experience with that company itself. So, whether it’s a restaurant (like McDonald’s) or a store (like Publix or Kroger) or a food product (like Coke or Doritos), there is an immediate connection made between how the truck (i.e., driver) is behaving on the road and whether an individual may want to have anything to do with that company.
What does that have to do with us? Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with your driving. Well, not really. The truth is that this concept (i.e., of one person on his own representing a larger entity) is nothing new. God has been utilizing it for years.
Are you a Christian? If you are, you may not realize that you have a sign on you that says, “How’s My Living?” There are people who are watching you—how you live, how you talk, how you behave, how you treat others, etc. And, just as people make a connection between the guy driving the Coke truck and the Coca-Cola company itself, people are making a connection between you (as a Christian) and the One that you are representing with that name—CHRIST! They are deciding what they think about Christ, based upon you and what they see in you. They are deciding what (if anything) they want to do with Christ, based upon you and what they see in your life.
Consider carefully this well-known verse. “Let your light so shine before men” (that’s like the truck driving down the road), “that they may see your good works” (that’s like everyone seeing how the driver is driving and what is advertised on the side of the truck) “and glorify your Father in heaven” (that’s like the connection that people make between the truck, the company and themselves) (Matt. 5:16).
So, how’s your “driving”? What does your “driving” say about the One that you represent—Christ? If there was a phone number for people to call God, what would they say about you? Of course, we’re not talking about actual driving but about actual living and the eternal impact it has on others.