Everyone Knew

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Don’t toot your own horn”? If not, it is a saying encouraging us to avoid braging about our accomplishments, because if we do, we can come across as arrogant, prideful and full of ourselves. Instead, it is best to remain humble and reserved, only allowing others to speak well of us. If you’ve ever met someone who continually talks about how wonderful they are, or who always seems to share their lists of accomplishments, you may be able to understand how annoying that could be. Because it almost always appears to be self-serving and self-elevating. Instead, we should be like Cornelius, a centurion Gentile believer who let his actions speak for themselves. And in doing so, everyone knew how righteous he was - even God. It says in Acts, chapter 10, verse 22:  

“The men replied, ‘We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”

The Bible recounts that it was because Cornelius was devout and God-fearing, giving generously to those in need and praying to God regularly, that God gave him a vision of an angel telling him to send for Peter. And in this passage, we learn that his righteousness was evident to those around him as well. It goes on to say that he was respected by all of the Jewish people even though he was a Gentile. I believe that we should aspire to live a life that speaks for us, like Cornelius did. If we are walking in step with the Spirit, we shouldn’t feel the need to tell others how good we are, because they will already know.

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Everyone was aware of Cornelius’ devout lifestyle, even the Jews, and all without Cornelius saying a word. He didn’t concern himself with trying to impress anyone by letting them know how much he gave to the poor. He didn’t tell everyone about how frequently he prayed to God. And he didn’t do his good deeds so that he could be seen, or praised, by men. He just lived a devout and God-fearing life, and not only did God notice, but men did too. I would submit to you that it is always more powerful, and more credible, to be spoken of highly by others than to “toot your own horn”, so to speak. So I would encourage you to not concern yourself with impressing men. Live to glorify God, and he may choose to lift you up on his own.

Relative Truth

Relativism is an interesting concept. If you are poor and others around you are poor, you may not be aware of how poor you are because of your relative wealth. In other words, compared to your neighbor, you may be doing okay financially. But compared to a pop star, you might be incredibly poor. As a human race, we share this idea of relativism no matter where we live. But if you live in America, you live in a country where concepts like “good”, “wise” or even “truth” are also relative terms. Do you think you are a “good” person? Well, that might depend on what you consider “good”. Are you “wise”? Well, are we talking about street wisdom or book wisdom, and wise compared to who? What about “truth”? We live in a time when even facts aren’t necessarily considered “true”. But when it comes to faith in Christ, believers know that truth is not relative. It never has been and it never will be. In John, chapter 18, verses 37 and 38 we read this exchange between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. It says: 

“‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’ ‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.’” 

When it comes to our eternal salvation, there is only one truth. It doesn’t matter if our culture changes, our laws change, or even our thinking changes. Truth - as it applies to Jesus - will never change. After all, it is Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” When he identified himself as “the truth”, I believe he was explaining that there is only one truth, and it isn’t relative. With him, you idea of truth and my idea of truth can’t be different. How do we know what truth is? Through his word; the Holy Bible. John identifies Jesus as “the Word”. And Jesus said, “everyone on the side of truth listens to me”. Are you on the side of truth? Or does your idea of what is true change? Let us not be like Pilate. Let us not ask “what is truth?” as if the answer should be different for everyone. Because with Jesus, truth is not relative.

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The devil would like us to think that truth is relative. You can have your truth, I can have my truth, and both will lead to heaven. But the Bible teaches us that there is only one truth, and that is Jesus. He is the only way to heaven. No words that have ever been spoken are more true that his words. Our moral code, our idea of what is right or wrong, what is good or evil, and what is truth or a lie should all be filtered through him. He will help us align our skewed view of life, love, our future and everything that we know to the truth. And if we know the truth, Jesus assures us that the truth will set us free.

Miraculously Hidden

If I were to look back on my life to consider what God has done with me and through me, I am blown away. Even if I were to look back a year, or even a month, I wouldn’t have guessed where I’d be now or how God would be using me. Actually, I think if I knew then what I know now, I might’ve been terrified, not knowing how, or if, I’d be able to accomplish such a huge task. Knowing this, I’m glad that God reveals things in his own timing. Because if he didn’t, I’m not sure things would’ve played out the way they have. I think it has always been that way with God. He knows what he can reveal to us now, but he also knows what needs to wait. And in such cases, I believe he keeps things hidden from us because it isn’t the right time or he knows that we can’t handle it. Jesus did the same with his disciples when he revealed to them how he was going to die. It says in Luke, chapter 18, verses 31 through 34: 

“Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.’ The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.” 

Jesus told the disciples exactly what was going to happen to him, but the meaning was miraculously hidden from them. Maybe because they would’ve tried to change the outcome. Maybe because they wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. Or, maybe the meaning was hidden from them simply because it had to be that way for things to play out the way they were supposed to. In any case, it wasn’t the right time. There may be challenges, events or circumstances that are happening in your life right now that you don’t understand; things that don’t make sense right now but will be revealed at the right time. If that is you, I would encourage you to trust God. There may be a reason why he has kept you in the dark. There may be a reason why he has miraculously hidden the meaning from you. As I look back on my life, I can honestly say that there has been several occasions where I was better off not knowing the future, or better off not knowing the meaning of why something was happening. It wasn’t until later that I could understand why things were hidden. If you are in that place right now, I hope this concept is comforting to you.

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If you knew now that you were going to be in a car accident later today, how would that affect your present? Even if you knew everything would work out in the end and that you’d be unharmed, that knowledge might keep you on edge, stress you out, or even lead you to behave differently than you normally would. In fact, because you might spend so much time anticipating the inevitable, when the accident does happen it may end up being worse than it would have if you were to have reacted naturally. Likewise, there may be things in our future that God is miraculously keeping hidden from us. Just like he did with his disciples, he may keep us in the dark for his purposes or maybe for our own good. If you’ve been a Christ follower for any length of time, I’m sure you can attest that God knows what is best for us. He has our life in his hands. Our job is to trust and obey. Just like the song of the same name says, because there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

Unlikely Vessel

I have to admit that at times I can become confused or even a little jealous when God chooses to use someone who I would consider “unqualified” to do his work. It is almost as if he rewards those who behave poorly, or exalts those whose faithfulness is questionable. It is kind of like the story of the prodigal son. It was the son who squandered his father’s money in sin and chorusing who was welcomed back with open arms, given a party and clothed in fine robes. The faithful son seemed all but ignored. Likewise, there are times when God will choose an unlikely vessel to do an amazing work in his name. One of the greatest examples of this was Saul. It says in Acts, chapter 9, verse 15: 

“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.’” 

Just two chapters earlier, we read that Saul approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and was on a mission to imprison anyone who put their faith in Christ. And now, we understand that he is being groomed to carry the message of Christ to the Gentiles and their kings! Even after Jesus appeared to Saul, who was later named Paul, many of the believers were afraid of him, not sure if his conversion was authentic or a ploy to imprison more believers. Even Ananias was wary of him. But God was not. He chose the most unlikely of people to do the most amazing work in his name. In fact, Paul wrote most of the New Testament, suffered greatly for Christ, and is heralded as one of the most prolific believers in the Bible. So if God can use Paul, one of the most unlikely of vessels, then he can use anyone. He can use you and he can use me. So I would encourage you not to minimize your worth for kingdom purposes. You may have had a rocky past, but God can still use you. And for those who have followed Christ faithfully for years, there are several examples of God using those in that camp as well. Well, let’s head on to our next song, but first, if you want to write into the show, here’s how you can.

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I remember a time when God used someone who I thought was unqualified to perform a miracle. At a Benny Hinn alter call, he touched the head of a woman and felt power flow out of him, knocking her out in the Spirit. God has never used me in that way, especially at that time in my life. After I heard his story, I grew a bit indignant and jealous. But I was later reminded of the truth of Acts, chapter 9. God can choose anyone he wishes to do his will. And he often chooses the most unlikely of vessels. The Bible reminds us that “he choose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty”. That way there is no doubt who is doing the work. So I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to accept whomever God chooses to do his work. He may even choose you to do something you think you are unqualified for. But if he does, take heart in knowing that you are certainly not the first.

Face to Face

I wear glasses when I’m reading or watching television. I don’t really need my glasses to see, but I do need them to see clearly. Without them words on a page are a bit blurry and images on the television screen are not optimal. But when I put my glasses on, everything is crystal clear. Details that were once unrecognizable are now fully revealed. Paul explains that our vision of God is somewhat similar. Right now, as we live in these corporal bodies, it is as if we can only see a blurry reflection of him. But there will come a time when we will be able to see him with crystal clarity. There will come a time when we will fully know him. Paul puts it this way in First Corinthians 13:12. It says: 

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror…” In Bible times the mirror wasn’t what it is today. Today, when we look in a mirror we can see an accurate reflection of ourselves. But back then mirrors were made of polished metal. The reflection wasn’t very clear. It was blurry; only clear enough to make out the major details. None of us have seen Jesus in the flesh. And the Bible mentions that it is death for a mortal human being to look at God face to face. But, Paul reminds us that there will come a time when we will see him face to face. Not only that, but we will know him fully. I believe that this revelation will be the highlight of our eternal existence; to know God fully even as we are fully known by him. I don’t know about you, but my mind is not able to truly understand the magnitude of that truth. But I look forward to it with eager expectation and I hope you do too.

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Jesus is the only one who has ever walked the earth with the full knowledge of who God is. This side of heaven, we can only see a poor reflection; we can only know in part. I thank God that we can at least know him as well as we can, but even what we do know takes faith. Jesus said, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. Most of us only know in our hearts. Some of us have been privileged enough to have seen him in dreams or have heard the audible voice of God. Some have even claimed to have died and seen him. But for the rest of us, it is our faith that compels us. But take heart, there will come a time when you will see God face to face; when you will fully know him. If you are a believer today, I encourage you to take hold of that truth. I encourage you to wait in anticipation for the glorious revelation that is yet to come.