“Yet at the same time many even among the
leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not
confess their faith for fear they would be put out of
the synagogue, for they loved praise from men more than
praise from God.
John 12:42-43 (NIV)
John
writes of leaders who secretly believed in the Master’s teachings. These men
feared being cast out of the Hebrew house of worship. He makes a bold statement
about the reason these men were quiet about their thoughts “for they loved
praise from men more than from God.”
Are we
in the 21st Century very different from the leaders who believed in Jesus but
chose not to share their beliefs with those around them? I think not.
I
remember hearing a story about a young man who found the Lord just prior to
going away to college. When he came back to church over a school break, someone
asked him how his friends on campus responded to his mew faith. He hung his
head and said, “They don’t know of my faith.”
Does
everyone who knows us know of our faith? A church friend of mine has a burden
for a neighbor who is very seriously ill. As my friend prayed for guidance on
how to reach this neighbor and her family, she received a two word answer—‘Live
it.”
This
answer applies to each of us. We can say all we want to about Jesus and about
God but, unless our neighbors see our faith lived out, we are ‘spinning our
wheels’ and getting nowhere.
When we
confess our faith before others, we also do it before God. If we keep our faith
to ourselves we impede the growth of God’s kingdom. In my young adult years, a person who kept
his or her status quiet was thought of as fence-sitters—never really taking a
stand for the Lord.
Dear Father God:
Please
give us the strength and the courage to stand for you in this broken world.
Teach us to long for Your praise. Guide us to demonstrate Your love for others
as we go through our daily walk. All praise belongs to You. I ask this out of Your grace and love. In
the Name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN
Yes, we need both: to live our faith through kindness and integrity, but we also need to speak our love for Jesus. Thanks for reminding us of this great truth!
ReplyDeleteJen
Jen: You are so right. As we live out our faith, we do need to speak of our love for Jesus. My friend's neighbor wants nothing to do with hearing about Christianity. The answer to prayer works for my friend.
DeleteLive it! I'll make that my two words for 2015. If we do not live it, then who will? Good post Cecelia, thanks!
ReplyDeleteMarja: Thank you for stopping in. Please let me know how your "two words" work for you this year.
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