S163P5 – The mind of Christ: the testimony of God
Jn. 5:31-36
If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
The young man knew that a great storm was coming, so he rushed to the homes of his neighbors to warn them. He went from house to house and told them to flee, but none of them believed him. He pointed to the sky, which by that point had started to turn dark with black clouds appearing in the distance, but his warning was discounted time and again. As his window of opportunity to leave that place grew smaller, he knew that he would have move quickly. He gathered his things and packed his car. As he drove away from that town, he looked in the rear view mirror. One by one, the homes which dotted the horizon began to disappear, and the storm would prove itself to be true.
I would guess that most of us have felt the weight of responsibility when trying to convince someone of the truth of Christ yet being unsuccessful. We might think that we have failed because the testimony we provided was not enough to move a heart toward the Lord. Yet, we see here that even Jesus did not hold himself responsible for testifying about himself. It was the testimony of his Father in heaven by his works upon which He relied to prove who He is, and it is no different for us. The role we serve is to be like Christ, which is to do the work that the Father has ordained for us to do. It is then for the Father to provide the testimony which convicts and proves.
There is a great event which is coming one day. For those who love the Lord, the day will be great. For those who hate him, the day will be terrible. They cannot be prepared for this storm, and we are not equipped to prepare them. We are equipped today only to tell them and to do God’s work. Many will fight against us, ridicule us and persecute us simply for sounding the alarm, but we must rest assured that in the end everyone will come to learn the truth. While our testimonies might be shut down and discounted, God’s testimony will be the proof. Father, help us to be focused on doing the work You have for us, trusting you to bring the right result and the testimony that none can deny.