Now, my disclaimer to this story is: I don't know a lot of the details personally. It is all heresy, so I'm not going to go into much detail on the story. But, what I will tell you is that the contractor is a known Christian. So, despite whatever right or wrong the client did to the Contractor, it is imperative the Christian Contractor go above and beyond, which apparently did not happen.
Before I became a Christian, I had no idea what a Christian testimony or "witness" even is. People are always sharing their "testimony" about how great an iPhone is or how awesome Toyotas are. My husband's 4Runner is about to hit 200,000 miles and has barely needed a BIT of maintenance. My Ford on the other hand...ugh. Crazy people like me are even touting how phenomenal the use of cloth diapers is.
Anyway, when we listen to people's testimony about phones or trucks or cloth diapers we usually gauge the product they're selling with a few short things. First thing, who are they? If it is your friend or parent you're more likely to listen to their assessment of the product. If they're a car salesperson, you probably take what they have to say with a grain of salt. Unless they are your friend AND a car salesperson. I'll let YOU be the judge on that one!
Second, you probably gauge what they're saying with your own experiences, both about the product and with the person. Can you trust what they're saying? Does what they're saying line up with what you're experiences with that product or a similar one agree? If you don't trust them, there is probably good reason. Maybe they're
Anyway, when it comes to making decisions about products we buy, we often do a lot of research and make a decision based on those factors. (One of the big things we are basing our household decisions on right now is: Where is it made?) Becoming a Christian is SOOO much more complex, especially for those who haven't been raised in a church. There is no label on people to read that says: "Doesn't Lie. Speaks God's Truth".
I just committed myself to the Lord in 2008 after my mom passed away. Prior to that time, I had gone to church periodically for Easter and Christmas like SIXTY-TWO percent of Americans!!! (This is really crazy, no wonder our "world" is so "worldly".) Anyhow, I "sort of" believed in God, but I had a lot of questions.
The Bible? How could this thing be written "by man" and be all true?
Evolution? How could my school teach me that things evolved over millions of years and the Bible says the Earth was created in a week?
Jesus? How did God make some girl pregnant without sex? It's pretty hard to believe she was a virgin.
Where is this God and why is this HAPPENING to ME!???
If I had parents who were Christians, I could have gotten answers to these questions the first time they appeared. However, my dad is a somewhat aloof Computer Programmer who got "burned" by a church he grew up in and my mom was a Research Toxicologist with a lot of scientific background that did NOT support the Bible. It's no wonder it is hard to believe in God when the world keeps on pushing ideas of evolution and "Ask not what you can do for God, but what God can do for you" attitudes. I will go into the answers to those questions I had more in detail later, but I want to get to that Testimony thing.
When it comes to your Christian Testimony, you must guard it like the gold in Fort Knox. (That place is not in Tennessee, despite a lot of people thinking Knoxville=Fort Knox.) Let's assume that there is even any gold left in that place. It is the one thing we might be able to barter with should China come knocking on our door asking for repayment of our HUMONGOUS debt to them.
With Christianity, your Testimony is like that bartering gold, to unbelievers. So what is a Testimony?
Your Christian Testimony or "witness" is threefold. It is a story that you tell about how you came to Christ, a story about how coming to Christ has changed you, and how God can help someone else change their life. When I say that you need to guard your Testimony, it is because we Christians keep touting that God has CHANGED us!!! The problem is, that becoming a Christian doesn't take away your sin. It only makes you aware of it and you have a DESIRE to change because you now know your sin is wrong.
So, that little problem of not taking away your sin is a big one. If you go to share your Christian Testimony with someone, it is really hard to believe that whole thing that "belief in God can change you", if they don't see a changed person. REAL true salvation causes a change in your heart. You want to please God and so you seek, in all of your behaviors, to praise and worship and proclaim God the King of your life.
Back to the story of the contractor, it is impossible to tell whether the contractor is indeed a Christian or not. That is business between that person and God alone. However, the dispute that was not resolved before a lawsuit is a major hurdle now between that contractor and their Testimony. People are prone to saying, "Christians just SAY they're changed, but when it comes to money, they aren't any more truthful or honest than the next guy."
Christians, you don't have to be perfect. You will make mistakes. But, if you seek by prayer the best way to resolve things with others and God, you will keep your Testimony safe. "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10 No matter what wrong someone does against you, you HAVE to do what is right (to keep your Testimony safe), whether that is fixing something you don't believe was your fault, or paying more money than you thought you should, or merely being timely with something (which I'm soooo guilty of).
Guard that Testimony like the precious gold it is and you'll be able to share it with all you can without worry they won't find you a trustworthy and sincere source of knowledge of God's Salvation.
Readers, I would love to hear your Testimony. So if you have time, write me about yours. :) I will share my own Testimony sometime soon!
P.S. For you newly saved, guarding your Testimony becomes a lot easier the longer you are a Christian and the better relationship you have with Christ. So, keep on trucking and don't get discouraged if you fall. I have, many times already this week. ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment