I have often thought that Jesus, as was Paul, was killed because He dared to stand up and speak truth to power. He and many of His followers, convicted by their beliefs, professed and preached that the ruling religious law of the day was corrupt and deserving of renunciation. In my office I have a poster which states, “One man with courage makes a majority.”
Have you ever found yourself so committed to a course of action, so positive in your convictions and your resolve, so steadfast in your purpose that nothing could change your mind or your behavior? I suppose we should all be so blessed to at least once in our lives to know that we know that we know.
Can you now imagine Jesus, so sure, so confident, so right that even in death, He knew that He knew? I must then ask the question of you and myself. What do you know?
At some time during your faith walk, you will find yourself walking absolutely by yourself. Inevitably, one day, it will become necessary for you, as well as me, to take a position of faith that will perhaps alienate us from so-called friends and family, just as Jesus was alienated from the hierarchy of the church of His day.
Expect to one day be forced to take a stand based solely on faith. On that day you consciously decide to choose the Lord instead of the world. You know that you know.
People who are recognized in this world as having principles and integrity are supposed to be honored for their stances even when they go against popular opinion. The bible teaches us that those men and women of God were often victimized, sometimes ridiculed and often times crucified. The bible also lets us know these are the exact people we should emulate.
We’ve all heard the phrase “stepping out on faith.” Reality suggests that this is a very scary sometimes lonely place to be. The beauty of this spiritual reality is God cannot show up until you step out.
Our struggle with faith then is clearly trying to recognize its power. Without the absolute conviction of the inherent power of faith, we never get a chance to experience the hand of God at work in our own lives. We’re afraid. It’s probably the biggest fear that we have with the most devastating of consequences: to believe that you know versus knowing that you know.
Do you believe or don’t you? If you do, prove it.
