Doctrine and Covenants 19:28

"And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private."
Doctrine and Covenants 19:28


This is interesting, thinking about private and public personas.  We all play different roles, and act differently for different audiences... and I think here, God is asking us to make sure that he is included in all of them.  I don't think that God is necessarily saying to flaunt or show off our status as believers.  It isn't about pride, being better than anyone else, or preaching damnation to the unbelievers. :)  It is about being dedicated to God all the time.  We can't just believe on Sundays, or hide who we are from colleagues, or coworkers, or whoever we don't tell because it makes those conversations easier, or different, or whatever.  If we really believe, and we really are dedicated to God, then we need to be dedicated to him publicly and privately... to every audience.  It's probably also about being examples. In Matthew 5:14, God tells us that we are the light of the world.  We can't be that light if we are shining as little as possible. :)
Today, let's allow our dedication to God to touch every aspect of our lives.  Let's be God's people in public as well as in private.  Let's pray, and build Zion, and not worry about what other people might think.