The Hard Road

Living out our faith can be hard. I’ll admit it, the Christian life is not a walk in the park, it can be rough at times. I was reading John 12, and John 12:42 says “But many believed in Jesus, even many leaders. But because of the Pharisees, they did not say they believed in Him for fear they would be kept out of the synagogue.” Not much has changed in the modern times. The leaders wanted to be on the Pharisee’s good side, just like how we want to “fit in”. Whether it is with a certain group of friends, coworkers, or classmates, or just everyday situations we just keep quiet- I’m not passing any judgment, I have kept quiet when I should have spoken up before, it’s just why do we keep quiet? Verse 43 goes on to say “they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” That’s it; the leaders cared more about what the world thought of them, than what God did. They thought more about what people said more than what God said. And that’s tempting! We like to hear good things and think to ourselves, “Oh they might not be friends with me if I say something “religious”.” I’ve been thinking a lot about pride lately, and I believe it ties into this. The leaders were concerned for their reputation, what people thought, what people said- they were proud, which we have found out God doesn’t like. Paul deals with this sin when he says in Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the Gospel”, Paul wasn’t proud, all he could think of was his savior and Lord Jesus. He had no reputation to show before men, but only a life to show God. It’s a tough issue, and once again I am not judging anyone. We all like to be liked, or thought of a good people, we like a positive image, but it’s where that fits into our life that matters. It’s when we value a “good job” from Joe over Jesus that it becomes a problem, it’s a tough issue, but it’s one of those issues that never gets solved unless faced head on, and that issue is pride.