The Praise of Men or the Praise of God
Ever since our men's Bible study on Monday morning, I have been thinking about what John said in John 12 about the people who believed in Jesus, but they would not confess him openly, because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. The men really grabbed that verse, and we had a lively discussion. It was even more meaningful to me, because of my own testimony. I know that I believed that Jesus was the Savior when I was 6 or 7 years old, but I was not saved then. I remember knowing and believing that Jesus died on the cross for me at age 9, and I knew I needed to confess Him before men, but I did not, so I was not saved then, either. It was not until I was 14 years old that I loved the praise of God more than the praise of men, and I was saved from my sins when I confessed Jesus as my Savior and Lord by standing up in front of our church family. Only then did Jesus confirm my salvation.
When I think of Matthew 10:32, Romans 10:9-10, John 12:42, and I John 4:2,3,15, I am convinced that we should make that one of our main ways of explaining what it means to become a Christian. We talk about asking Jesus to come into our heart, but that is not very Biblical. He does come into us, but it is when we trust Him and confess Him as Savior and Lord. We must repent of our sins and turn to Him, asking Him to forgive our sins, but He is not really Lord, until we are willing to confess Him before others. If we love someone and have faith in them, we will not be ashamed to let others know about our love and trust. I am afraid that we may have a lot of folks who asked Jesus to come into their hearts, because they did not want to go to Hell, but they never loved Him and trusted Him enough to confess Him to others, because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. I am so glad I settled it years ago. There is nothing more important than the praise of God. I pray that we all will come to that conclusion, conviction, and confession.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 7-8 and Matthew 15:1-20.
When I think of Matthew 10:32, Romans 10:9-10, John 12:42, and I John 4:2,3,15, I am convinced that we should make that one of our main ways of explaining what it means to become a Christian. We talk about asking Jesus to come into our heart, but that is not very Biblical. He does come into us, but it is when we trust Him and confess Him as Savior and Lord. We must repent of our sins and turn to Him, asking Him to forgive our sins, but He is not really Lord, until we are willing to confess Him before others. If we love someone and have faith in them, we will not be ashamed to let others know about our love and trust. I am afraid that we may have a lot of folks who asked Jesus to come into their hearts, because they did not want to go to Hell, but they never loved Him and trusted Him enough to confess Him to others, because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. I am so glad I settled it years ago. There is nothing more important than the praise of God. I pray that we all will come to that conclusion, conviction, and confession.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 7-8 and Matthew 15:1-20.