Pondering Your Testimony
Today I want to ask you what you think about the testimonies that people give of their conversions to Christ. Personally, I love to hear these. In fact, if you are a Christian, to hear the amazing works of God in the lives of his people should bring you great encouragement and a new humility each and every time. One thing that I have often pondered is the weight and rank that people place upon the testimonies of others.
I have found that often there is pressure to have that “great” testimony. Sometimes it seems that if God has not saved an individual from the total devastating destruction of this world in the form of drugs, abuse, prostitution, homosexuality, or any number of other depraved acts then their testimony is diminished in the eyes of others. If an individual is one who has “grown up” in the faith and maybe does not have a distinct day of conversion but rather a growing realization that they believe then people tend to doubt them. Often people tend to place too much emphasis on how grandiose the testimony is and make that the determining factor on how much the Lord is at work in one’s life. If the testimony is not as dramatic we minimize the work of the Lord. People often place too high a value on the degree of depravity rather than realizing that we are ALL depraved and ALL need the saving grace of Christ. Total depravity does not mean that we are as bad as we could be but that we are corrupt in every part of our being.
In his book “A Summary of Christian Doctrine”, Louis Berkhof put it this way: Total depravity “doesn’t mean that every man is as bad as he can be, but that sin has corrupted every part of his nature and rendered him unable to any spiritual good. He may still do many praiseworthy things in relation to his fellow-beings, but even his best works are radically defective, because they are not prompted by love to God nor done in obedience to God.”
My children are those Christians that are growing up in the faith. My husband is one who has grown up in his faith. There is not necessarily a distinct day or moment when they realized the magnitude of their sin, their lostness and need for salvation and had what some might call a “conversion experience”. By being raised in a godly home where these truths were part of their everyday understanding they simply came to the realization that they couldn’t remember a time when they hadn’t believed. Does that make the saving work of Christ any less in their lives just because they did not lead a life of destruction and sudden conversion? I find it to be the blessing of how God works in godly families and households. It is a blessing of God to bless the descendants of believers to the thousandth generation. To minimize that is to see with worldly eyes. I love to hear those testimonies of how God has saved people from the clutches of devastating sin, but that is not the only way He works. We must remember that ALL sin is devastating!! Therefore, each and every testimony is grand even if it may seem boring by the world’s standards! If only the children of God would see his grand work in the lives of others without the trappings of what this world might see as being great.
Tags: Christianity, Pondering Posted in Christianity, Conviction, Encouragement, Forgiveness, Give Thanks, Pondering, Praise, Train Up a Child, children, hope, worship
March 30th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Wonderful post. I couldn’t agree more.
I had a professor in college who gave us the assignment of writing our testimony. He would reject anything that didn’t “excite” him. He lost out by focusing on the sensational depravity rather than realizing the most incredibly exciting part of any testimony is GOD’S HAND at work in a person’s life.
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March 31st, 2009 at 9:08 am
I completely agree. When I was in high school it seemed so important to have a saved from the depths of hell testimony. I do not have one really. I was brought up knowing God. My mother backslid and my grandmother prayed fervently for me along with all of her friends. Then my mom returned to Christ and married a Christian man. They brought me up in church and my Grandmother too brought me up in the church. In high school I almost envied those who had suffered so hard before being saved. But God showed me how much He had been working in my life from day one. I really truly believe that your testimony isn’t when you “got saved” it is acknowledging how God is continually working in your life. Testimonies are a work in progress that will be carried to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
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March 31st, 2009 at 9:27 am
I too have pondered the thoughts you shared with us on your blog. It would be so sad to my heart to know that one of my babies would not be reunited with me in heaven. They have grown up in a very different home from the one I knew( A non Christian home).
We have tried to live a life that would cause them to recognize we are needy and in need of a Saviour and been very careful to assume their salvation on the basis of our walk with God and our Christian home. This being said, their testimony ,if they become born again like Jesus explained to Nicodemus (John ch. 3), will be oh so precious because it will be their story to tell of what Jesus did for them. If their sin nature has little chance to mar their beautiful person they will have more of a life to offer Christ. This is a great testimony indeed.
Sincerely,
Linda
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April 1st, 2009 at 3:06 am
We in the Christian community often place too much value on the “miracle” conversion. We love to hear how God pulls someone out of the depths of drug abuse,alcoholism, street gangs etc. But the fact is, that even those saved from such horrible lifestyles would love to have a testimony like you have describe above. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, would probably preferred to have a testimony similar to Daniel. If David had it to do over again, he would not have fallen into the sin trap.
I all truth, the greatest testimony is that in which a person has been raised in a Christian home by loving Christian parents,invites Christ into their lives at an early age, lives a life that honors and glorifies Christ and passes that heritage to the next generation.
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April 1st, 2009 at 7:12 am
Love this entry today… you are an inspiration to me
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April 1st, 2009 at 8:40 am
We were just talking about this this past week. I think we saw a video and the man said that he had no big testimony and was talking about how people get upset when they don’t have one.
I believe some of it is the fault of churches who place so much emphasis on ‘such a deliverance’, and I believe some of it is the culture we live in – the drama we all must have to be someone.
You said, “We must remember that ALL sin is devastating!!”, and I agree, but that struck me. It is as if we feel that sin is an action, when it is really a spiritual state. We do not have to act sinful to be sinful. We think sin is an action and the more the sinful actions, the greater the redemption, when in reality, even the slightest sin, which we all wear on our hearts, is a great enough devastation to keep us from an eternal presence with God.
Thanks Kristine~
blessings!
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April 1st, 2009 at 8:52 am
Jaqcue- thanks for your imput. You are so right, sin is not just action. We are sinful by nature. We are all tainted and therefore seperated from the Father. That is a state of devastation in and of itself!