Lord, as a disciple of Yours I must not only believe, but be believable There is no use whatever pointing to the grace of unless that grace has been operating in me. A businessman once said to his employees: “My reputation is in your hands.” So the Lord’s reputation is in our hands.
I now see why Jesus said that hard-to understand word about sins being “forgiven” and sins being “retained” (John 20:23). There is a sense in which the destiny of others rests upon the followers of Jesus Christ; not in the absolute sense, but the functional sense. It is in that sense, I believe, that Paul meant: “Be… followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, KJV). It is only to the extent that I am a believable follower of Christ that I will be able to persuade others to follow Him also.
My influencing others to follow Christ must begin with my believing them. That is, I must convince them that I believe that they are the proper objects of God’s love and Christ’s redemptive sacrifice; that they are in themselves of infinite worth and value to God; that God will guarantee every effort to save them, if only they will turn to Him. When you come right down to it, a disciple is only as fruitful for his Lord as his credibility is to the people who listen to him. Peter found Jesus because of Andrew, Paul because of Stephen, and so forth. They had to be convinced by men first. They were believed in; therefore, they believed.
I cannot believe in men, and therefore cannot persuade them, unless they see in me the innocent love that is characteristic of the Spirit-filled disciple. Thus, I am believable only to the extent that God’s love appears unmistakably in me. That must be my goal. “Brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God… do this” (1 Thessalonians 4:1, NIV ).
“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).
Daily with the King 