The only appraisal of your life that will ultimately matter is God’s. One of the greatest things you can ever do is to decide that you’re not going to live for the applause of any particular group—not even well-meaning family members or friends who sometimes could get your eyes off the prize of following Jesus. You need to determine to live out your life before the Audience of One, doing what you believe is right in the eyes of your only true Judge—a Savior who is full of both grace and truth.

There’s a negative side to this, and a positive one. Sooner or later, all sin will be exposed, sexual sin and every other kind. “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Solomon said, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out” (Proverbs 10:9).

Here’s a thought that should sober all of us: There’s no such thing as a private moment. Jesus warned His disciples: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:2–3).

One of Satan’s oldest tactics is to weave a phony web of secrecy, casting an illusion of privacy over our sinful choices. He tells us, “No one is watching. No one will know.” But he’s lying. Someone is always watching—the Audience of One. He already knows. And in time, many others will know. We'll be exposed.

The good news is, when we do quiet acts of faithfulness no one else notices, God will see us and reward us: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

 So the bad news is, He sees all so we never get away with anything! And the good news is He sees all so that whatever we do for Him, He will never forget, and He will happily say to us: “Well done!” “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

The greatest news of all is that the Audience of One who sees all our sins, and who we can never fool, is also the One who went to the cross to pay the price for all our sins and says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Ask yourself whether you are living for the approval of others, of this culture, of friends or family, or for the approval of Jesus. Then ask yourself, “In the end whose judgment seat will I stand before?” Paul said, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). We will stand before His judgment seat, no one else’s.

We should long to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” If our goal is to hear others say, “Well done,” we won’t do what we need to do to hear Him say it. Live for the approval of others and you will not live for Christ’s approval, and therefore, you will not persevere in the Christian life.

John Chrysostom, the church father, said, “Men who are in love with applause have their spirits starved not only when they are blamed offhand, but even when they fail to be constantly praised.”

We should remind ourselves of what the Bible says about being fools for Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18–31; 4:8-13). The question is not whether we will be seen as fools—that part is certain—but when and to whom we will be seen as fools. Better to be seen as fools now in the eyes of other people—including other Christians—than to be seen as fools forever in the eyes of the Audience of One.

By the way, I read the phrase “the Audience of One” in an obscure book in the 1980’s, but it grabbed hold of me, and never let me go. Ever since, I’ve used it in multiple novels and nonfiction books and messages. When I was still a pastor thirty years ago, I spoke to our large congregation about something biblical and controversial that I knew many people wouldn’t like. I envisioned just one person sitting there, Jesus, and reminded myself that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of what I said—it only mattered what HE thought. I have kept that in mind as I write my books and blogs and everything else. If it pleases Him, even if it makes many people angry or upset, then it’s worthwhile. If it pleases everyone else but Him, it’s worthless.

It was said of some religious leaders that “they loved human praise more than praise from God” (John 12:43). Instead, let’s live our lives not for the praise of men, but for the applause of God, the Audience of One. If we live that way, we will not look back at our lives with regret, but with hearts of gratitude to our King.

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