1 Timothy 6:13-16 The Good Confession

1 Timothy 6:13-16

In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

The good confession.

In front of a judge who would seemingly decide His worldly fate, He made the good confession when it might have been so much easier to have taken a different path.  He made the good confession.  Pilate asked a direct question and Jesus answered with clarity and boldness...with humility instead of arrogance.

How many times have we been given the opportunity to make "the good confession" and we have simply taken the different path?  Perhaps it just didn't seem to be the right time, we didn't seem to have just the right relationship or we just didn't want to get involved so we don't.  Or perhaps our response depends on where we are at when asked?  Perhaps when we are in a place where an explanation of our faith will be appreciated or even heralded, we speak of our allegiance loudly.  However, when we find ourselves in places where our faith will attract attention or quite possibly require, at the very least, an explanation, we quietly refrain from answering directly or perhaps not even at all.

Yet when we find ourselves needing Him and His provisions, we speak loudly.  When we found ourselves wronged or treated unjustly by this world, we run quickly to His shelter.  When we find ourselves knocking at death's door, we call out His name and He answers us.  Every single time.

He reaches and draws us to Him without rebuke but rather with the softness of a Father who simply knows.  He loves us.  He just does.  He gave us life and provides us with a Light that darkness can't extinguish....no matter how dark.  A Light that shines through our darkest night and rivals our darkest day.  It never fades nor does it ever cease to exist.  A Light that isn't determined by what we define it as being but rather a Light that defines each of us completely independent of who we think we are.  He sees us as who we truly are when oftentimes we can't see it ourselves.  He sees His creation as in its purest form.  He sees our beginning and our seemingly end on this earth which is highlighted by His ability to see past what we can see. 

He makes no mistakes.

The world will discourage the boldness our faith.  It just will.  It will try to cause fear to guide our every steps seeking to discourage and contain us.  But, as children of His, we were never meant to be contained.  We were meant to soar on the wings of eagles, move mountains and stand boldly against the giants of this world.  I dare say, however, it will only be when we step outside of our own strength, when we have spent all that we have inside ourselves and we have left everything at His feet that we will experience the greatness of Who He is.  Only then can we soar when the wind and gravity drags us down.  Only then can we move mountains that are entrenched in the earth.  Only then can we stand firm no matter what we face off against.

Only then can we stand face to face against the mightiest judge in this land and not waver in our faith.

For some of us, it is a life long journey.  We lay it down and pick it up.  We walk in His strength until we can take it back ourselves.  We live in constant upheaval of trying to do it on our own while proclaiming His greatness when, quite honestly, we haven't given Him the latitude to showcase His greatness.  We have only experienced the previews.  Today, we stand with the choice of Who we follow but we also stand with the necessity of being disciplined enough to follow and allow Him to lead.

Live different.