Credibility: May 3, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MAY 3, 2013.

CREDIBILITY

DEFINITION:

Capable of being believed; being trustworthy and honorable.

SCRIPTURE:

Beloved, I beg of you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God. I Peter 2:11-12.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

As parents raising our children we constantly stressed the importance of always being credible. Unfortunately, most people in today’s culture do not consider the importance of being credible with their friends and acquaintances. When one loses his or hers credibility it is almost impossible to get it back. We taught our children the necessity of being honest, truthful and trustworthy because those were the character traits that would give them credibility. You do not win in life if you lie to or mislead people. The truth will always come back to hurt the one who misleads another.

Credibility is not something that you buy, it is something that you work for and earn. We may be able to “borrow” credibility for a while by associating ourselves with credible people, but sooner or later we will need to establish our own credibility.

As Christians it is essential that our lives are lived in a way that honors God. We are known as Christians and are held to a higher standard by the world. We are Christ’s witnesses in this world and therefore our actions reflect on Christ’s purifying power to enable us to be trustworthy and honest. If we fail in some way then our credibility failure dishonors God. We must earn credibility as Christians by living each day an upright and exemplary life. When we take care of our character, by building it on God’s laws, our witness to the world will be credible.

The importance of credibility on the life of anyone who says he is a Christian cannot be overemphasized. Lawyers look for credible witnesses in court cases. Lawyers for both sides seek to discredit witnesses for the opposing side. If they can show inconsistencies in a witness’s testimony the testimony will not be credible. Our testimony as a Christian is not credible if it is not reflected in the way we live and an upright character. Christians must be vigilant in ridding themselves of acts of immorality and dishonesty. The world looks for every opportunity to destroy Christ’s testimony by attacking the credibility of believers.

God has called us to be credible witnesses for Him by following in His steps. In I Peter 2:21-22 Peter said, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”

Peter stated we are to “follow” His steps. In the Greek the word “follow” means to take the same road. We need to walk the same road that Jesus walked and in turn we will be more Christ-like and have real credibility.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in James 4:17.

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, help me and my family to look to You as our example for we know that You are without sin and that You want us to live by Your standards and not the standards of the world. Help us to be willing to follow in Your footsteps.