Keep It To Yourself

This is the time of year for giving. First we give candy, then we give thanks, then we give presents. It’s a strange order if you think about it, but that is just the way things shake out. I guess it is normal at the end of each year to reflect on all we have been blessed with and then to respond by the sharing of our blessings. It was our Lord, after all, who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

But there are some things we often fail to give. Perhaps it is because we are not sure if anyone else would want them. In fact, we have all been specifically told that there are some things we should keep to ourselves. For example, how many times have you heard that it is alright to discuss any topic except religion and politics? These are “controversial” matters. They are considered to be subjects upon which there is seldom agreement and often conflict. So to avoid the whole situation of an uncomfortable moment, we have been urged to keep our thoughts and opinions about these matters to ourselves.

I was recently reading that famous statement by the Apostle Paul in his final letter to Timothy. As I reflected on it I considered something in that statement I have never contemplated before. You remember it – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

Now go back with me to that part of the statement where Paul said, “I have kept the faith.” It occurred to me, that even though Paul kept the faith, he didn’t keep it to himself. To “keep” in this passage means, “to observe, to guard, or to hold fast to something.” We understand that Paul was saying that as a Christian he lived a life that consistently followed the will of God, and that he continued in that way until the end of his life. Yet Paul was the perfect example of how keeping the faith doesn’t mean that you hide it from others. Paul shared the faith and kept the faith while he shared it. In fact, sharing what he knew about the gospel of Christ and the kingdom of God had become the very purpose of his life.

I will admit to you that, as a preacher, I am weary of a culture that discourages the proclamation of God’s word. We have such good news to share! I’m also tired of media and movie stars being so outspoken while members of the church are told to keep quiet. I’m tired of the political agenda that preaches against God’s way whenever His way means we are going to stand for something that is not politically correct. And I am also worn out with the notion that if we believe in the words of Scripture that clearly condemn the actions of those who are not following God’s will, that our mouths and our minds are to be stopped and our words and thoughts about these things are never to be spoken.

The gospel was, is, and shall be, at least until the world ends, the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). This month the birth of Jesus is celebrated in our world by the masses as a message of “peace on earth, good will towards men” (Luke 2:14). If the message contained in the Bible is such good news and such saving news, why would we ever be told not to share it? It should be celebrated. It should be followed. It should be proclaimed.

I want to be more like Paul. I want to keep the faith! But when I look back on my life I don’t want to have lived the kind of life that kept the faith to myself. The faith is meant to be shared.

“…Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” – Mark 5:19

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AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum