December 16, Depriving Others

Today’s reading: Psalms 76-80

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done, and they in turn would tell their children. . . . Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands”
- Psalm 78:4, 7.

You have a testimony, probably many testimonies, of what the Lord has done for you, your family, your business, or your ministry. You are obligated to tell others your story for two reasons. The first is so God will receive glory from what He has done, and people will say when they hear or read it, “Praise the Lord,” or “Thank You, Jesus!” The second is so people will be encouraged to put their trust in the Lord and keep His commands in a similar life situation, as the psalmist wrote in Psalm 78. When you don’t write, publish, broadcast, preach, speak, or converse about your testimony, you are depriving others of what they may need to move on in the Lord. When you belittle your testimony, thinking, “This isn’t very significant,” or when you engage in false humility, “I had better not draw attention to myself and just be quiet,” it may seem like you are being spiritual, but you are not. You are being disobedient. When your heart pounds, your breathing increases, your fear level rises, and you focus on what may happen to you if you share, then you should press through and find a way to tell your story, whether it is a few sentences or 500 pages. Where have you been talking yourself out of declaring the wonders that God has done for you? Do you see how you are depriving others of their hope and God of His glory? What can you do to share how good God has been to you with others.