12/25/2014

The Gift of Authenticity

John 12:42-46 “42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved human praise more than praise from God. 44Then Jesus cried out, ‘Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.’” (NASB)

The church had a huge problem. In John chapter 12, the scriptures identify it and Jesus addresses it directly. The leaders of the people, those who should have been leading the way to the Messiah, had instead lost their focus.

Verse 43 tells us that they had come to love human praise more than praise from God. It’s a bit absurd when you think about it. I imagine most of us, if we were given a choice of being praised by others or praised by God, would pick God every single time.

Yet so often we find ourselves doing the very same thing these leaders were doing. In our eagerness to be accepted and liked by other people, we lose sight of our true calling and no longer focus on living to please The Lord.

When that happens, we are walking in darkness. Yet despite our poor performance, Jesus was not content to simply leave us in the dark. Instead, he reminds us that in Him, we see the Father.

In him, we have hope and joy.

In him, we have the acceptance and the praise that truly matters.

Because of him, we can live in the light.