John 12 - Belief is not Enough - Action is Required!

“42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”

There were even believers in the leaders of the church, but they let their humanly desires outweigh their love of the Lord. Because they coveted the preferential treatment they received as leaders in the synagogue AND they were afraid of losing their status in the church (out of fear of the Pharisees), they CHOSE not to follow Jesus. Before we are too harsh in our judgment of the leaders, are we doing the same?

Why do we do the things we do for the church. Are we doing them out of service to the Lord OR are we doing them to receive praise ourselves? Yes, it is good to hear “job well done” both from the Lord and from other humans; however, if we are doing “good deeds” ONLY for the praise of others and NOT for the glory of the Lord, then we are no different than the synagogue leaders in the story above. Amen?

Also, on the flip side, if we DO NOTHING out of fear of what other church folks with think, ignoring the calling of the Holy Spirit, then we are also no different than the synagogue leaders, for they let fear of personal loss (and humiliation) keep them from doing the right thing by following Jesus. They believed, but did nothing. Lord help me not to make that same mistake. Amen?