we must always consider our source. whenever we hear a story, or garner any kind information, we cannot blindly accept whatever it is someone has to say. we must consider our source. are they trustworthy? are they the kind who spread idle gossip? how well do they know the context and people involved? what do they have to gain from telling me this? are they prone to hyperbole? and many other variables…

as long as we are getting information from a human source, we are always better to be skeptical rather than accepting. people have motives, agendas & appearances to maintain.

what about our witness as Christians? can people accept our testimony firsthand? have we given them a burden of proof that points toward Jesus, rather than our own motives, being at work in us? is it possible that in telling others about Jesus, what He said, miracles He performed, etc, that we may be giving an inaccurate portrayal?

i was talking with some people at church a few weeks ago, and someone who had been raised up in the church, and is now long since retired attributed a miracle of elisha to Jesus. i wanted so badly to correct her, not because there was something bad about what she said, but because she was just inaccurate. saying Jesus helped someone is obviously consistent with His character. saying He did so several hundred years before He walked the earth just shows a lack of either recall ability, or knowledge of Biblical timelines & accounts.

part of this issue has to do with how much time we spend reading the Bible. if we rely on our preachers & teachers on Sunday morning to do all of our reading for us, and just take things as they hand them to us, then we are not doing our faith justice. We are coming up short in a very important area, and we need to make sure that our character and our knowledge both point toward a close relationship with God. as always, this is not for our sake, but for the glory of God.

our lives must be a reliable witness for Jesus. we cannot chalk it up to being sinful and unable to complete our mission. that is a cop out and a terrible excuse. if we will remember, Jesus has given us freedom from sin, and an option to live in a way that differs completely from the lives of the lost around us. to resign before you begin shows where your heart is, and that you have already been defeated.

the apostle paul talks about forcing his body into submission, so that he could be consistent with what he had preached. we must be willing to do the same for the sake of Christ. we must be prepared to deny ourselves things, and activities that are not consistent with who it is we are supposed to be. the guidelines for this are plainly laid out in Scripture, and i will not add any human components or a personal addendum to what Jesus has already given us. what He says, you can and should read it on your own, is what i want to do. i am fully aware that i will still have to struggle with my own sinful desires, but i will not let them drive me or dictate who i am.

who i am, i find in Christ Jesus. He is the One that i answer to. He is the One who gives me direction. He is the One whose example i want to follow and point others toward.

and just one more time…

for this to happen, you and i have to spend as much time with Him in the Word as possible. we must search things out on our own, along with our brothers and sisters that we worship and serve along side of…we need to live in a way that it is obvious for those around us to see Jesus. we must do our best, with His help, to be a carbon copy of Him each and every day. we do not want to come across as some sort of short hand scrawl that you have to squint at to make out the words, hopefully getting the correct message.

this is something for all of us to be mindful of, not just those who claim to teach, but for all who claim to be a witness of the One who bore our sins, took our shame and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. may our love reflect His love in the lives of those we encounter each and every day.

He must become greater, i must become less.