The Faithful Witness
Are you pondering whether or not
you are making a difference in this world? Do you find yourself often
discouraged and at times shocked about your lack of zeal? Has this
question ever haunted the recesses of your mind: "Do people see Christ
in me?"
The answer is simple and is summarized in the following
Bible verse: "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick
grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:16, NIV2)
But what if fruit is not forthcoming?
Then we should meditate
on these very words Jesus pronounced: "Dear children, let us not love
with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18, NIV2)
As long as we remain in only an intellectual understanding of
Christ, we will never be satisfied. Words are nice, but they are
worthless when compared to genuine love. The ones who shine for Christ
are not those who talk about God (Pharisees talked about God a lot and
see what they did to His Son!), but are those who follow the footsteps
of Jesus and love like He does. After all, Christianity can all be
summed up in the word "love". If love is non-existent in us, we don't
know Jesus personally! (See 1 John 5:2)
Only if we decide to
start loving others unselfishly will we begin to have a purpose in life,
and this is a consequence of knowing Jesus intimately. People will
notice that we have encountered the One named love (Jesus). "In the same
way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, NIV2)
During World War II the Nazis turned Russian prisoners into slave
workers. Their living conditions were atrocious and they barely received
any food. None of them could last very long. If they made it through an
entire year, they were the lucky ones. Hopeless and discouraged, these
slaves often tried to escape. And why not? They were going to die
anyway!
The Nazis threatened severe punishments to anyone who
offered aid to these slaves. What would we do if we lived in Jersey, for
example, and we encountered such a fugitive?
Would we denounce
him?
No, we are not that kind of people!
Maybe we would
give him some well-meant advice?
But that wouldn't really be of
any help to him, would it!
Would we consider sheltering him?
Louisa Gould did. She sheltered Feodor Burriy, known also as "Bill",
for a period of two years! Imagine the drain on her food resources!
Already she was living with very little. Still, she couldn't help but
reach out to this hopeless man.
In May 1944 she and her family
were denounced. Her brother survived the cruelties of Bergen-Belsen
concentration camp, but Louisa perished in the gas chambers of
Ravensbruck in February 1945.
And what of Bill? Thanks to this
caring family, he was able to escape.
Would they have done
differently if they had known they would end up in a concentration camp?
Not if they were motivated by genuine love, for genuine love does not
make exceptions! Genuine love would have still helped that poor slave
worker with no hesitation whatsoever.
Louise and her family were
not the only ones who helped fugitive slaves. On March 1966, the USSR
presented gold watches to twenty of the Jersey islanders for their
compassion towards these Russian slave workers.
If we had lived
in Jersey during World War II, would we have been amongst the recipients
of those gold watches?
The problem is, love can never be genuine
if it doesn't come directly from God: "I am the true vine, and my Father
is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be
even more fruitful." (John 15:1-2, NIV2) We have to be willing to be
open vessels for the glory of God. We must depend solely on the One who
is our gardener. After all, He is the only One who can help us become
"even more fruitful".
Through Him, once we know Him intimately,
we won't be able to resist the inner urge to "Do everything in love." (1
Corinthians 16:14, NIV2)
Only then will we do as follows: "So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of
God." (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV2)
So are we willing to reach out
to the hopeless ones?
Rob Chaffart
How can I let People See Christ in me?
Today's Bible Verse:
"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from
thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:16)
How can I let People See Christ in me?
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