LifeLink Devotional

Friday, May 22, 2020

I have a tendency that is not necessarily good. I speak without filters far too often. One filter that doesn’t function very well is the one that controls how much personal information I share with people, especially new acquaintances. I tend to share far too much about myself too early in a relationship.

It is appropriate and commendable to have varying levels of relationship. We must learn to be very discerning about who gets to know what, and how much trust we place in them to know those things.

Jesus is our example in this. Read what the Apostle John says about Jesus after people began to follow Him.

John 2:23-25 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

There is an eternal and spiritual principle in place based on the response of Jesus to people saying they believed in Him.

Jesus knows the motive for our belief, and only trusts us with knowledge of Himself to the level that our motives are truly based on faith in Him.

The people who believed in Him were doing so because of the work He did. They were enthralled with the miraculous. Jesus didn’t entrust to them the depth of relationship that is possible if we would believe who He is rather than believe what He can do. Faith is honored by the Lord Jesus Christ if it is sufficient for us to believe in who He is.

Unfortunately for us, Jesus knows the heart of every one of us. He knows if our faith is in Him alone, or if our faith is being sustained by His activity on our behalf. John points out that Jesus did not entrust the riches of relationship with Him to those who were motivated to follow Him based on signs and benefits. He knew that those people would make false testimony about Him to others, thereby multiplying the error of faith based on personal benefits. Faith in Christ is never to be compromised by the demand for a personal benefit. Seeking signs and miraculous works compromises true faith, and Jesus does not reveal the depths of His grace and love to those who are not completely satisfied with who He is.

This may be a hard principle for you. It may be that we have not been willing to expose our faith to such scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. Very simply, are we willing to sacrifice every material and emotional benefit we think we receive from Jesus so that we may truly know the depths of His love and the power of His resurrection life in us?

That is a question worth pondering today.

Pastor John