Who's Watching?

It's Paul on trial, as we find in the latter sections of the book of Acts - a series of trials, actually, and while there were those who accused him according to their interpretation of the law, he declared his intent to maintain a good conscience within. He declared in Acts 24:
14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
16 This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.

Because we know Christ, we can be led of His Holy Spirit.  He has given us a conscience, which gives us the ability to discern right from wrong and to give us wisdom in order that we might make good decisions. We can pay attention to the indwelling presence of the Spirit in our hearts and train ourselves to know when He is directing us. Through the Word of God being activated inside, we can seek to live according to its principles. 

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In John chapter 16, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit - he says:
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

On yesterday's program, I made mention of an invention that seems to be well-intentioned, but that could be regarded as a bit invasive, reminding us that while we love our technology, we should be aware of privacy concerns.

The Washington Examiner reported on a device called the "Halo," made by Amazon.  Tim Carney writes:

The retail giant owned by the world’s richest man last year began offering a $65 device you could wear on your wrist to judge you on your tone when you speak to others. It would also measure your heart rate and other measures.

“Halo” was quite the fitting name for this device, which tells you whether you’ve been good or bad. Presumably, if you yell at the referee or scold your children too much, Bezos awards you devil’s horns instead of a halo.

Now, Amazon has released an Alexa with a screen, a "motion tracker." Carney writes, "The latest Amazon Echo doesn’t merely listen to you. It watches you with a camera. And follows you as you walk around."  He adds:

A privacy violation? No doubt! But have you considered the convenience of being able to keep streaming CNN while assembling your salad — or while getting enough steps to keep your Halo from judging you?

CNET.com, about this new Amazon Echo Show 10 says, "People who are creeped out by cameras might have a hard time liking the Echo Show 10. While all the display's data is processed locally on the device and you have the option to turn off motion and physically shutter the camera, it's still a strange feeling when an inanimate object, well, animates."

But, what if we could see ourselves and the way we interact with others, the way that perhaps a Halo or Echo does?  We may not want personal information to end up in the wrong hands, but I would submit that some self-awareness, which could lead to self-control, could be beneficial.  While the Halo may presume to help someone watch his or her tone, we have access to something far more reliable.

Well, we do have an inner guide, a conscience, activated by the Holy Spirit, who will prompt us when our tone is off or when we don't walk in love or violate Scriptural principles, and that's good - when we choose to listen.  The Spirit will convict us of sin and give us the capacity to correct our shortcomings.

We can even learn to "see" ourselves, in a sense, as God sees us.  It's not a camera, but He can give us the realization when we behave in a manner that does not line up with His ways. We can also, through the Word, develop a sense of who we are in Him.  And, we can learn to see others through the eyes of God's love.  Through Him, we can learn more about what it truly means to be holy, not because of ourselves, but because of the presence of Christ in us.