But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15
Testimony for the Christian is an odd thing. Many new believers fear speaking God’s truth in their lives aloud to others at first. Other believers may be struggling under the silence of shame despite being freed by Christ’s blood. Some speak from a place of embarrassment or dishonor rather than victory and freedom. Still others have no issue proclaiming to the world what Jesus’ forgiveness has done for them.
And then most stop there.
Have you ever noticed how our testimonies tend to be in a vacuum? We tell stories of our past life, our new life through the cross; what changed and how God transformed us… and then we stop.
As if our testimony is over.
As if our testimony is a single-story, told statically, with a beginning, middle, and an end.
I think we’ve cut ourselves short. And certainly the work of our Redeemer as well.
What if I asked you what yesterday’s testimony was?
What did God do in your life 24 hours ago? How did He work through your words and actions the day before? What did He refine and renew in you? What was being sanctified, what was being put to death? What new and exciting thing did He reveal about Himself yesterday?
Let me tell you my testimony from these last 4 days. Last Wednesday we got an unexpected surprise- my parents came to visit. In their 70s, my folks are full-time RVers so our family doesn’t get to see them very much. Usually 1-2 times a year is about all we get, so it was a welcome visit. About 2 hours after they arrived, my daughter came to tell me her neck was hurting. Long story short, she has a history of infection from wounds she sustained in a car accident last year. Before I knew it, we were emergently driving the 4 hours up to St. Louis to Children’s Hospital for surgery. I spent the whole of the next 3 days away from home- not only not seeing my mom and dad, but not with my 4 other kids or husband either.
But God was in this. As you can imagine, the logistics of having 5 kids is not easy thing to work out even in the best of circumstances. Having something so unplanned happen and trying to figure out life on super short notice is usually impossible. But God knew. He sent my parents to hold down the fort, watch the kids, keep a semblance of normalcy during a stressful time. He KNEW! What a thing! In the midst of illness and surgery, being gone and alone… He provided completely for us. It wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t perfect. There was a LOT that felt bad. And yet, it was so completely obvious that He was in control and would be, in a very tangible way… Jehovah Jirah.
It may not have been ‘our’ plans, but His were more complete. More planned. More prepared. Yes, God was surely in last weekend’s testimony for me.
You have a testimony from yesterday too.
Dear ones, our testimony do not have an end. Just as God promises ongoing protection, renewal, refreshment… presence. So also should we be constantly proclaiming this continual work within us. His day-to-day work in our lives is no less part of our testimony as our conversion was. Each minute of God’s guiding hand, each moment of GodStuff is part of our story.
We should be telling that too.
We should be telling it regularly.
Because our story… HIS story of our lives is unending, eternally being written and provided for. Therefore let us proclaim the whole of our testimony- yesterday’s, this morning’s, last hour’s, and all our tomorrow’s… until He takes us home.
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