THE WITNESS OF WITHHOLDING      

Keep not back. (Isaiah 43:6 KJV)

The Bible tells us that we will be witnesses for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Also in the Bible, we see two different kinds of witnessing: one for the glory of the Savior and the other for the glory of the self. Today I want to encourage you to “keep not back” your witness for the glory of your Savior in the three “T’s” of Time, Talent, and Treasure.

Keep not back your time. Every breath you take is a gift from God. Every beat of your heart is a gift from God. The question that must be answered is, “What are you doing with the time God has given to you?” Remember, when you spend an hour, you have one less hour to spend, so spend it wisely! With 168 hours in a week, we should evaluate what we are doing with those hours by asking, “Is what I am doing right now the best use of the time God has given to me?” 

Keep not back your talent. Every talent you possess in every area of life is a gift from God. From the classroom to the locker room to the boardroom to the family room, every talent you possess is to be put into fruitful service for the glory of God and the good of others. If your talent is in music, make a joyful noise to the Lord. If your talent is on the field of competition, play for the glory of God. If your talent is in the business world, work as if you were doing business with Christ Himself. Regardless of where your talents lie, use them for the expansion of the kingdom of Christ. Remember, what you don’t use, you eventually lose. If forced to choose one or the other, it is far better to “burn out” than to “rust out.” You get the point.

Keep not back your treasure. Everything you have is a gift; the more you have, the more you are in debt to the One who has given it to you. Whatever your heart beats for your treasure will be spent on. Sadly, the witness of withholding wealth is at the top of the list where far too many professing Christians squeeze a quarter so tightly that the eagle screams!

So . . . how are you doing in the area of witnessing with your time, talent, and treasure? Are any of these areas tainted by the witness of withholding? The key to rising above this failure to do what God commands is to remember that Jesus refused to withhold anything in order to bring you into relationship with Him.

• He gave His time. Jesus kept on preaching and teaching and healing to the point where there were times that He was so exhausted that He would fall dead asleep, even in the midst of furious storms that terrified others. (Matthew 8:25)
• He gave His talent. We read that the crowds were amazed at His teaching (Matthew 7:28), and the miracles He did were so spectacular that huge crowds often pressed in around Him (Luke 8:42).
• He gave His treasure. We know that He left the glory of His heavenly throne to become a man, taking the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7).
• And He gave His life. As He hung on that cruel cross, with every breath causing fresh jolts of agony to sear through His body, He heard the jeers of the crowd around Him: “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42).

And here’s the incredible truth: He could have! He could have come down from that cross in an instant, uttered one word, and twelve legions of angels would have turned that hill Golgotha into a slaughter pen (Matthew 26:53). It wasn’t nails that held Jesus Christ to the cross; Christian, it was his love for YOU!

When you keep these truths in view, you will “keep not back” anything to advance the cause of His kingdom. You will live a life of meaning, significance, and purpose; and you will not waste your time, water down your talent, or withhold a single cent of your treasure.

Remember, in God’s economy, you cannot advance the cause of His kingdom without advancing yourself in the process. As Jesus said —

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!