John Chapter 8: Verses 14-16 (NIV-UK)
Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
Jesus’ testimony was lived out for all to see; Not just in what He taught, but what He did and how He lived. His critics couldn’t deny that and that’s why we read so often that they were afraid. So His testimony was indeed valid and couldn’t honestly be discredited. He was convicted by false witness and testimony against Him.
What about those of us who are trying to follow His example? Our testimony, or story needs to be valid too. That means our whole life, every area, and not just what we say, but how we live our daily lives. Each story is personal and individual which means that no-one can deny that story, providing we live it with integrity. And that means being just as open and honest with our story when we make a mistake, when we sin and know we have fallen short. If we put things right with God in such instances, this reconciliation speaks just as powerfully, if not more so, than if we’d tried to hide it from others. People who only choose to share the “good bits” of their story are not being completely honest. We are not perfect, but God is, yet He restores us when we come to Him for forgiveness, and sometimes that’s what people need to see and hear. People may judge us by human standards, just as Jesus said, but God doesn’t deal with us the way that other people do – and that’s an amazing story to share!
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful that You don’t judge by human standards, and that You take my mistakes and imperfections and my sin, and cast them into the sea of Your forgetfulness. You use every part of my life to show Your goodness and Your power, and as You told Paul, Your power is made perfect in weakness, even in mine. Help me to live with integrity so that my testimony about You is valid, and reflects Jesus as it should. I ask in His name. Amen.