“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (John 12:42-43 English Standard Version)
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “The phrase, when push comes to shove means when the situation becomes critical or urgent and requires decisive action.” We all have faced such situations before, and we will face them again, perhaps even this Friday. The question I have for you, when you encountered such situations is, “What did you do?”
Before I pose my question in poetic form, note how the authorities decided to act when push came to shove in the excerpt from John’s gospel above. Observe what they did, choosing not to confess their belief because of fear. Just as a side note: When you face similar situations, time when others will consider you an outcast or when they act as you have been banned from being in the presence of others, chose to confess as opposed to concealing your faith. Really, sometimes you just need to be proactive and declare your faith in Christ and how your faith has blessed you, in the past, during the present days, and indeed in the future. Now, let me get to my question.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
When your friends were misleading or misdirecting you, did you do it their way or did you do it God’s way? What did you do when push came to shove?
When someone told you they would not like you anymore if you did not do this or that was your decision hard, or did you immediately tell them, “I’m not about pleasing you, but I’m about pleasing my Lord?” What did you do when push came to shove?
The right choice may have cost you the affection of peers, cost you a promotion, and possibly fame. But the right choice is simply to let your faith on the inside, and you actions on the outside, to be in perfect sync, to remain. But let me ask you again, “What did you do when push came to shove?”
When push came to shove did you forget about the Lord’s love? When push came to shove did you defer to down here, before deferring to up above? What did you do?
When push came to shove did you hide your belief? Or did you find the revealing of your faith to be such a beneficial relief? What did you do when push came to shove?
When the push started to shove you in the wrong way, did you say openly, “I’ll watch fight and pray,” or “I will trust and obey?” Did you slide to the left or slide to the right, off the narrow path, just to gain the adoration of some? Or did you stand firm to please the Holy One? What did you do when push came to shove?
Did you give in to Satan who said, “It’s all right?” Or did you stand unmoved, knowing that what is right is right? What did you do when push came to shove?
Go back and examine yourself in view of the primary question posed. Then go forward revealing your steadfast faith in the One who saved you from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. Make sure to pause and read a great example from the word of God below, a word that demonstrates how to choose what to do when push comes to shove. Be blessed!
“So, they sent for them and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority]. But Peter and John replied to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must judge [for yourselves]; for we, on our part, cannot stop telling [people] about what we have seen and heard.”(Acts 4:18-20 The Amplified Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King