Apr 2 - "Be Bold"

"'It is my Father who glorifies me, He of whom you say, 'He is our God', though you do not know him. But I know Him; if I were to say I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?'. Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.'" --- John 8:47-59 *****************

How bold are you in your faith, in your profession as Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

I have to admit, that besides this annual string of random musings on the Word, I don't really put myself "out there" when it comes to being bold in my faith. I certainly have had and continue to have opportunities to share my beliefs openly with others, even strangers. But, when it comes down to standing in front of someone and laying it on the line, I most often shirk away from the opportunity.

A part of this may be the way we have been discouraged from this type of open profession of faith in today's society. The burden of political correctness and social protocol can push our beliefs into the background, causing us to pause when the opportunity to step forward presents itself. But is this just a convenient excuse? Being politically incorrect does not have the same consequences as what Jesus, His disciples and the countless other martyrs of our faith experienced. Pain, torture, death...merely offending someone pales in comparison.

Look at Jesus in today's scripture. Up to this point, Christ has kind of avoided being this bold about who He is. There is no doubt left in anyone's mind after this conversation with these Jewish leaders. Not only does He tell them they don't know God, he says, "I am God." The one-two punch he delivers probably shook their vision of their own faith to the core; no wonder they wanted to kill Him. We can certainly find this example of Jesus' direct approach an intimidating one to try and emulate. He is, of course, God incarnate. There is no real risk for Him to speak in this way. Yes, He knows it will cause Him to suffer pain and death, but He also knows how the story ends; he is resurrected and ascends into heaven to continue His reign forever.

But, is our fate no less certain, should we similarly profess?

We also know that we will be with God forever, even if our evangelism causes us some discomfort or persecution. As always, we should look to Jesus as our perfect example, but maybe we don't always have to go as far as He did. Aren't there little things we can do every day to show that we follow Christ? It does not always have to be some major, grandstanding event. It can be in the little things. Offering kinds words, smiles, asking questions or engaging in a conversation that will eventually lead to an open and welcome discussion of how to experience the love of God. All of these things show what we are made of.

So, be bold. Find ways to show who you are as a Christian. Though they may be small things, they can still be done in a way that there is no doubt to those around you, what you believe.