Do You Have a Personal Testimony about Jesus?  

As I listened to the tributes given to baseball legend Hank Aaron upon his recent death, I was reminded that I was privileged not just to know about him as a figure from the past but to have witnessed his exploits and to have been impacted by them. I grew up in the Atlanta area as a youngster at just the right age to idolize such a sports hero during the prime of his career. I was there in the stadium on a few occasions to see him hit some of his round-trippers. I was there glued to my TV set the night he hit his record-breaking shot. I experienced regularly opening up a newly-purchased pack of baseball cards, hoping it might contain that elusive, grand prize of a Hank Aaron card. It’s one thing to hear about someone from the past or to watch video clips of their career highlights, but it’s another to have been an eye-witness who lived through those times and was influenced by that person.

The Apostle John emphasized that aspect of his relationship with Jesus. He wasn’t just reporting secondhand information. He hadn’t drawn his conclusions about who Jesus was based on what other people had reported or because of what historical records said about Him. He had been there. He had seen it all for himself. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (I John 1:1-3).

John was there to see Jesus hit His homeruns. He heard the powerful Sermon on the Mount. He saw Jesus hit it out the park as He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and even raised the dead. John saw how Jesus overcame the opposition of the religious leaders of the day. He experienced the heartbreak of apparent defeat on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, only to witness the grand slam of the empty tomb a few days later. Jesus wasn’t just some legendary, mystical figure to John. He was a very real person whose life and exploits John had witnessed firsthand.

Of course, none of us were there as John was when Jesus was on earth in the flesh. However, have we personally encountered Jesus for ourselves and been impacted by His life-changing power? Or is He merely a spiritual hero, a historical figure, or a legendary idol whose example and teachings inspire us? Even though Jesus died long ago, we still have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him. We can know Him. His Spirit can live in us and work through us. He can enable us to experience victory over sin in our lives. The home run He hit at the cross can still score us peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and cleansing of all unrighteousness. We can have a testimony similar to John – “I know what Jesus can do, because He has done it for me. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. He has changed my life.”

Let’s make sure that we know Jesus as more than simply a legend from the past, but as our present living Savior whom we’ve personally encountered and who is still hitting home runs in our lives today. 

 

Rise to the Bottom and Change the World  

Recently I heard someone refer to the movie The Poseidon Adventure, not the remake but the original film that I remember going to the theater to watch in my early teens. As you may know, this disaster flick is about a passenger ship that gets capsized by a huge wave. The story follows a group of passengers who try to survive this ordeal by making their way up away from the rising waters toward an area where they might be rescued. The odd aspect of their journey is that as they were moving upward, they were actually getting closer to the bottom of the vessel due to its inverted condition.

Maybe some of us today feel like our world has been turned upside down. Long-held Christian values are no longer esteemed by our society. Right is often considered to be wrong, while evil is sometimes celebrated as good. Truth is blurred, ignored, or even considered to be irrelevant. A rushing river of spiritually murky, dangerous water is rising to fill the vacuum created by a society that has forsaken God and His Word. What do we do as followers of Christ who find ourselves living in these topsy-turvy times?

I believe we need to do what those passengers were forced to do in that movie. We need to rise to the bottom. We need to move upward and toward a solution by intentionally moving in the direction that we normally would think of as being downward. Maybe that sounds contradictory, however Jesus spoke in similar terms. He said that in order to save our lives we need to be willing to lose them. He also informed His disciples that the path upward toward true greatness was found by taking the low road of humble service. He also indicated that it’s those who willingly accept the lowly place in life who will eventually be exalted. The way up is the way down.

I believe that principle still holds true for us today. How do we successfully make our way through the winding, strange corridors of this upside-down world? We rise toward the bottom. We humble ourselves in prayer and repentance. Instead of seeking to gain earthly power, we look to heavenly powers to win these battles. Instead of angrily raising our fists, we meekly bow our knees. Instead of cultivating a spirit of rebellion against man, we encourage a spirit of submission to God. Instead of taking up arms in an insurrection, we take up the spiritual armor God has provided for us. Instead of fighting by means of violence, hatred, and vengeance, we do battle through faith, truth, prayer, and righteousness. Although there’s a place for us to be involved in politics and social action, as we do so we can’t let ourselves get caught up in the conventional wisdom of a worldview that doesn’t allow for the intervention of God and doesn’t value His guiding principles for living. In this upside-down world, we need to keep conducting ourselves like people who truly believe in Jesus and who are seeking to be like Him in our actions and spirit.  

The early followers of Jesus were accused of turning their world upside down. The truth is that they were actually making progress toward getting it right-side-up again. If we can rise to the bottom, maybe we will not only survive this crazy world we find ourselves living in today, but we might even help right the ship. A capsized society needs those who can turn it upside-down. Instead of primarily pursuing a political or social revolution, let’s focus even more on seeking a spiritual revival. That could really change the world.

 

In a Changing World Jesus Is the Same  

I’ll admit that I’m not always quick to embrace change, even when I know it may be necessary. For example, whoever the new permanent host of Jeopardy ends up being, it just won’t be the same without Alex Trebek. Hey, I felt the same way when Bob Barker left The Price Is Right. However, there are even more significant changes going on in our world. In addition to all the adjustments we’ve had to make because of the pandemic, we’re about to experience having a new President, a different balance of power in Congress, and new policies which will inevitably affect all of our lives to some degree. Our whole society is evolving (or degenerating, depending on how you evaluate those changes) into something almost unrecognizable and unimaginable for some of us who have been around a while. Change can be hard to swallow, whether it’s for the better or for the worse.

So when we’re facing times like these when we have no choice but to turn a corner and face something new or different, it’s comforting still to be able to keep our feet planted on something stable and unchanging. For those of us who are trusting Jesus as our Savior, we have such a sure and firm place to stand. The Bible assures us that our faith rests on Someone who hasn’t changed and won’t change, no matter what else in this world gets revised, cancelled, or fades away and regardless of whomever may retire or die.  

 God declares, “For I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). His Word also assures us that we have a Heavenly Father “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). And maybe the clearest and most comforting statement of all is this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We don’t have a lot of “forevers” in our lives anymore. Of course, very few things are actually eternal, but we’re losing many aspects of life that we thought would at least be around for a long, long time. Whether it’s celebrities who have been part of our lives for many years, political figures, family members, institutions, freedoms, long-held societal values – times are a-changing.

Therefore it’s reassuring to know that our God is still the same. There are truly “forevers” in relation to Him that we can still count on. He still loves us, in spite of all we have done to distance ourselves from Him and in spite of our world’s rejection of His guidance as to what is best for us. God is still good and just, even as we face the consequences of our rebellion against Him and judgment for our sin. God is forever faithful. Not one of His promises will fail. His Word is still true. What He says still goes, even if a growing number of people seem to disagree with Him. He is still seated on His throne as the Ruler of all things. He hasn’t been overthrown. He can’t be impeached and removed from office. And He’s still the Judge over all the earth before whom we’ll be standing to give an account of ourselves one day.

Forever. Less and less in this life seems to fit that description. Maybe that’s a good thing. Could it be that some of us were clinging to or depending too heavily on some of those aspects of life that are now being altered? Maybe these changing times will spur us to cling more tightly to that which doesn’t change. Let’s draw closer to the Lord. Let’s stand firmly on His Word. Let’s claim His promises. Hold tightly to Jesus, the One who is forever the same.

 

A Competitive Spirit Can Be a Spiritual Asset  

I received a copy of the late Alex Trebek’s autobiography for Christmas. At one point in that volume, he was suggesting reasons for the popularity of the game show he had hosted for so many years, Jeopardy. He believed part of it may be due to the fact that Americans tend to be so competitive. That spirit would come into play even within families as they watched the show together.

Do you tend to be competitive? Some people view such a quality as being out of line with the spirit we should be manifesting as followers of Christ. They see it as something we need to restrain or try to rid ourselves of altogether. While there are certainly aspects of it we need tone down or keep in proper perspective, I don’t believe having a competitive spirit is necessarily bad. The Bible indicates that we just need to channel it in the right direction. Let me share a couple of those areas with you.

The first one has to do with our relationship with the Lord and our daily walk with Him. The Bible sometimes uses sports analogies to describe our journey through life as believers. One of those says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it” (I Corinthians 9:24). This is encouraging us to run so as to win or, in other words, to run competitively. We need to give it all we’ve got, or as they say these days, be “in it to win it.”

I’m afraid there are too many believers who aren’t running their race competitively. Maybe we rightfully emphasize how we began the race when we received Jesus as Savior or how we’re looking ahead to reaching the finish line one day to be with the Lord in heaven. However, how are we running in the meantime? Too many are acting like we’re on a casual Sunday stroll through the park rather than giving it all we’ve got in drawing close to the Lord, serving Him, and reaching out to a lost world. We need to get more competitive and challenge ourselves to be all we can be for God. Challenge yourself to put more heart, time, and energy into seeking and serving the Lord.  

Another area in which I believe the Bible encourages us to channel our competitive spirit has to do with our spiritual opposition – Satan and his forces. Ephesians 6:10-13 tells us that we’re competing against evil spiritual powers in this world. It reminds us that we’re not wrestling against flesh and blood – we’re not battling against people. Our competition is not those of opposing political views or leaders who would take our country in the wrong direction. Some of those people may be allowing themselves to be used by our enemy, but they’re not our main foe. Too many of us are sitting on the sidelines instead of getting in the game and battling our real competition. Or we’re too busy focusing on people whom we consider to be the problem and aren’t paying attention to the one motivating those people and pulling the strings behind the scenes. Let’s channel our competitive spirit toward resisting the devil and praying against what he’s trying to do in our world today. Get serious about the enemy of your soul and start taking the fight to him.

So I came up with one of those little rhyming phrases to remind us of these truths about being competitive as we move ahead in this new year. I’ll leave it with you as a question to ponder: “How will you run in 2021?”

Study God’s Word to Discern Truth and Reality

My parents tell a story about an occasion when they were a young married couple and visited my maternal grandmother. They were all watching a TV program or movie in which there was a fierce rainstorm. After the show was over, my mom and dad announced to her mother that they were leaving to head home. At that point my grandmother loudly protested, “What? You’re not going out in this pouring rain, are you?” In spite of the nice weather outside, she had allowed what she had just watched on TV to cause her to momentarily lose sight of reality.

It reminds me of an incident that took place on Christmas Day as we were together with family. My teenage grandson was letting his two-year-old cousin wear his new headphones while the sound of falling rain was being played on that device. After listening for a moment, the little guy ran to a nearby window to look outside as if expecting to see the rain he was hearing.

Hopefully we’re not quite that susceptible to being deceived by what we listen to or see. However, those stories remind us how we can be influenced by what we allow to enter our minds. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves losing our grip on reality while giving credence to lies, fantasies, or half-truths. In some cases we get caught up in false narratives because they are so widely received or so well-packaged. Other times we accept truth alternatives because what they suggest may be more pleasant or easier for us to deal with than the hard truth of reality.

As we progress into this new year I believe one of our big needs as followers of Jesus is for discernment. We need to pray for the Lord to help us in being able to recognize the true from the false and the real from the fake. While His Spirit working in us and guiding us can certainly play a major role in that endeavor, we have a part to play, too. We need to be wise about what information we are constantly allowing to bombard our minds, as well as to whom we’re choosing to listen. Unfortunately I’m finding that some of the sources I once relied on for valid information aren’t as trustworthy as they once were. That can apply to news services, internet sights, radio personalities, and preachers. So what do we do? To whom do we listen? Where do we go to find truth and reality?  

Jesus declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). We should look to the Lord as our main and most reliable source for truth. Other purveyors of information may stray off course or be unduly influenced by societal pressure to change their views. However, the truth of God is eternal. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Who He is, His teachings, and His commandments for us don’t change.

So I would encourage us to make it a priority to spend more time in God’s Word this year. The Bible is still our main source of truth. And in spite of what many teach today, it’s still our most reliable source. God can reveal truth in other ways, but those all need to align with what He says in His written Word. And don’t just depend on others, not even preachers, to faithfully convey its truths to you. Read it and discover it for yourself.

Know what is going on in the world, but don’t get caught up in its sometimes false view of reality. Study God’s Word and cling to what is eternally true and real.