CONVICTED IN A COURT OF LAW
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” —Mark 5:24-34
Somebody has once said, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Do those at work, school, in the neighborhood, strangers and wherever you go know you love Jesus? Could their witness of you convict you in a court of law?
The woman in the above story did not want to be known publicly for her faith in Jesus. She just wanted to touch “His garment” and she believed that by doing so she would be healed. That is faith! But, Jesus was not going to allow her to be a “secret believer.” Instead, He called her to publicly bear testimony as to what happened and she did.
How about you and I— are we “secret believers” in the sense that we don’t want to be known publicly for our faith? Are you and I willing to be “called out” by Jesus and bear testimony as to what He has done for us? This is what He has called us to do (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). May we truly have a desire to share what Jesus has done for us with others that they could be encourage and trust Him as well. May it be so!
Dear Father, may I not fear man. What can man do to me? They may be able to hurt the body, but they can never take away the eternal security that I have in You. I am grateful for being forgiven and to be in relationship with You through Jesus and to have eternal life. Yes, I am truly grateful and may I live accordingly.