There are times we should keep our mouths shut…  and there are times we shouldn’t!  Do we know the difference?

Leading up to the cross, we read in Matthew 25 the parables of the Ten Virgins, the Faithful and Worthless Servants, and the Sheep and the Goats.  In each of these examples, Jesus makes it clear that many who think they’ll be in his kingdom will not be.  Then in John 12, we read the reality of this happening among the Jewish elite.

“Many of the Jewish leaders believed that I was the Christ, but because of the Pharisees, they would not confess it openly.   They were afraid of being put out of the synagogue.   They loved the adulation of people more than the praise that comes from God.”

This makes me think…

Were these Jewish leaders believers?   Had they put their faith in Christ alone?

Because they weren’t willing to confess belief in Christ, did that mean they didn’t truly believe?   Could they have been secret Christians?

When I fail to confess my faith in Christ, what am I afraid of?   They were afraid of rejection, of losing their public standing, of sacrificing their reputation.  Is it the same for me?

When I behave in such a way that reflects that I love the adulation of men more than the praise of God, what am I missing?   What am I failing to see or understand about my Father?   Why would I ever choose man’s praise over God’s?   Oh, what foolishness blinds our hearts!

Father, I want to walk so closely as an intimate of yours that I would never choose to trifle with lesser pursuits…  NEVER!