You have seen it happen! We all have. You are on a sports team. Maybe it's the football or baseball or basketball team, or maybe it's a swim team. A new member comes along. He seems confident. Maybe a little too confident, you think. He seems to know a bit about swimming. He talks up his own ability and experiences. Wow, you think, this guy is really something! He'll be a great addition to the team. But then he gets in the pool and the reality is obvious. He's really not that good at all!

What about at work? You might be working part-time at a fast-food outlet and have worked hard over the past 12 months. You have developed skills that have meant you have been noticed by the manager. She has given you more responsibility. It's a challenge, but you rise to it. The manager is pleased with your attitude and your progress.

One day the manager tells you there is a new member joining the team. This young lady comes with good references. She seems to have the skills needed for a position of responsibility without having to go through the floor-mopping stage. The manager has decided to make this new employee your supervisor. You can feel a sense of resentment rising. After all, you have put in the hard work and established a good track record as being a diligent, hard worker.

When she starts working, though, you can tell something is wrong. You find her quite lazy, and you are pressured to cover for her laziness. It seems she is not all she cracked herself up to be.

There is an expression that says, "If so and so was half as good as he thinks he is, he would be brilliant!" Simply put, what we say or even what we think about ourselves is not worth much if we can't back it up. It goes to our credibility!

What is your credibility? More to the point, how important is credibility?

First of all, just what is credibility? The Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary says it is "the quality or power of inspiring belief". When we are credible, we are believable in what we say we can do. Remember the two examples at the beginning of this article? Neither individual was able to prove what was claimed. As a result, they both lost their credibility!

We can say all sorts of things about ourselves, and many people may believe us. But if we want to have credibility, we need to be able to show by our actions that what we say we can do, we can actually do.

God's credibility

Would you believe that even God had His credibility challenged? Yes, even the great God of all the universe, the all powerful, almighty God has had His credibility brought into question. If God can have His credibility challenged, it should make us think about where we stand.

Gideon was a young man. Indeed he described himself as the least, probably the youngest, in his household (Judges 6:15). And although he was the least, God was calling Gideon to fulfill a great responsibility. He was to be used to lead Israel out of their oppression to the Midianites, who had a mighty and powerful army. The Midianites had created so much fear that Gideon processed his wheat near a winepress instead of the normal threshing floor in order to hide it from the enemy. The enemy had been stealing all the crops the Israelites grew, but the Great God was about to intervene!

Judges 6:12 says that "the Angel of the Lord appeared to him [Gideon], and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!'" Gideon's response revealed a lot about his attitude toward God's credibility. He said (loosely paraphrasing), "I don't believe you! If you are with us, why has so much trouble and destruction come to us?" (verse 13).

Gideon seriously questioned God's credibility! Could we be guilty of doing the same? We see so much suffering and pain in this world, and we may even experience some of it ourselves. But should this cause us to question God's credibility?

Gideon so doubted God that he tested Him three times. Of course, God's credibility is sure and unchanging (Malachi 3:6). Gideon, however, needed reassuring! Through the test of the offering (Judges 6:17-24) and the fleece—not once but twice (verses 36-40), God showed Gideon that He was believable. After seeing dramatic proof of God's existence and power, Gideon no longer doubted God—even when God allowed him only 300 men to fight the Midianite army!

God proved His credibility. How do we go about proving ours? Jesus Christ gives a few pointers as to the type of credibility God requires. Of course, He doesn't expect from us what He wasn't willing to do Himself (Philippians 2:5-11).

Service

In stark contrast to the swimmer and worker cited at the beginning of this article, Christ shows the type of attitude He seeks. When Jesus was about to be betrayed by Judas, He gathered the disciples around Him and showed them one of the most important lessons He wanted them to learn: the lesson of humility in service (John 13:1-17).

The very Son of God, the one who created all things, showed us by His own example that one of the greatest things we can do is humble ourselves in service to others—just as He did! It wasn't just that He was willing to wash the disciples' feet, although that's important too. Acts of service and helping our fellow man are important! What was also important is that He was willing to give Himself totally for His disciples. And this is what He is willing to do for us also.

His message was consistent to His disciples. "He who is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). "He who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves" (Luke 22:26). In the parable of the ambitious guest in Luke 14:7-11, Christ shows that it is better to begin at a low station in life and work to establish our credibility, than it is to desire and assume the greater position, only to be found lacking and then to be humiliated. No one likes to be humiliated!

This magazine has discussed, in various articles, ways and means for young people to serve in the Church as well as in the local community. These are all wonderful ways in which we can give and show the attitude of humble service. Christ shows that if we develop this kind of credibility in the little things (Luke 16:10), the acts of service that are not noticed and maybe not even recognized (Matthew 6:1-4), He and the Father will reward us openly. They will exalt us!

So how important is our service? It is extremely important. Whether it is the swim team, the fast-food joint or in the Church, God is looking for people who are willing to serve, because doing so enhances our credibility as it displays our character! VT