You Have the Right to Remain Silent

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33.

I'm a big fan of court room and crime drama television. I love how a crime is discovered, the police are called in to investigate and then the criminal is put on trial. During the course of the show, many twist and turns occur which at the conclusion yields a sometimes surprising end. One line seems to always find it's way into each and every one of theses shows that I spend hours watching and that is, "You have the right to remain silent." Now, remaining silent can prove to have some dire consequences to the accused as the story progesses. If he or she refuses to speak up then only one side of the incident is told. If a witness to the crime refuses to come forward and tell what he or she saw, then a crime could go unpunished. So it is with our lives as Christians. If we excercise our right to remain silent then there will be dire consequences for us.

In the 10th chapter of Matthew, Jesus sends out the 12 diciples to go out among the lost sheep of Israel and preach a specific message that he had given them. They were given instructions on what to look for, where to stay, what to take and how to behave. He warned the disciples of the consequences of remaining silent, "But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Can you imagine Jesus refusing to speak to God on your behalf?

It's easy to talk about Jesus when we are at church on Sundays and fellowshipping with our christian family but just as Jesus commanded the disciples to go out among the lost sheep, we are commanded to do the same. As Christians it's our work to go out among those who do not know or have not chosen to know Jesus for themselves. We often use the excuse, "what do I say?" but like the disciples, God will give us the words and will simply use us as willing vessels. We all have been set free from so many things in our lives. We've been rescued from death, healed from sickness and blessed beyond measure, so why would we want to remain silent? Let us speak up for Jesus through our praise and adoration and by the work we put to our hands, but most importantly, let us show others who Jesus is by the way we treat one another; with love and compassion. Yes, because God has given us the gift of free will, we have the right to remain silent but let us not excercise that right or else, Jesus just might do the same!

Be Blessed...