What does the cross-examination of your life reveal about the "rock-solid" or "a little too shaky to admit" testimony of your life? Whenever someone wants to build a case 'for' or 'against' you, they begin with something they call 'discovery'. There is a 'looking into' the life and events to see what really comes forward while 'looking'. A trial always begins with what they have come to term "opening arguments" - the laying out of the case from each person's perspective (prosecution and defense) in such a way that those 'on trial' are given a hint about what will be presented. It is often quite telling that something is about to become apparent, but it usually isn't all laid out in infinite detail in the 'opening argument'. There is much to be brought forward and that takes on a whole lot of 'asking' and 'telling'.
The first speech in a court case is always convincing—until the cross-examination starts! (Proverbs 18:17)
The opening speeches may all be nicely worded and organized into a nice synopsis of the beliefs of both the prosecutor and the defender, but they don't contain all the "evidence" that will be presented in the case being made. That is the purpose of the trial - it "opens up" the intricate pieces of evidence for the judge and jury to examine for the purpose of coming to a conclusion about the outcome of the one 'on trial'. Many times, these life-scenes reveal a pretty certain prosecutor who believes his/her case is rock-solid against the one who ultimately is 'under examination'. All the witnesses for the prosecution are believed to be exactly what will bring the "conviction" against the defendant that is ultimately desired.
Remembering that the case is a series of back and forth question or "examinations" that reveal the evidence 'for' or 'against' someone, it is easy to see how important it is to have all the right questions asked. Those questions come to light in the time of 'discovery' BEFORE the trial even begins. The "case" against the defendant is really made in the cross-examination of the witnesses. If the witnesses can have their testimony discredited in some manner, the case against that individual can go down the drain pretty quickly. This is so true about our daily testimony - the facts we present by the actions we display in our lives. The "making" or "breaking" of our "testimony" is determined in the closeness of "cross-examination" that we are placed under in the course of the 'trial'.
We stand "on trial" each and every day for evidence that our testimony is "rock solid" and unwavering. From the way we respond when we are wronged to the response we give when we are called on the carpet for less than stellar behavior - all lead to a conclusion about the "solidness" of our life's testimony. If our first response is to excuse our behavior (even though it has not been stellar), the testimony we give about Jesus is that our behavior really doesn't matter to him (or to us, for that matter). If our response when wronged is that we will turn to retaliation (rather than to forgive the offense), we damage the testimony of God's grace in our own lives. Either way, the testimony we give will betray our true convictions! Just sayin!
The first speech in a court case is always convincing—until the cross-examination starts! (Proverbs 18:17)
The opening speeches may all be nicely worded and organized into a nice synopsis of the beliefs of both the prosecutor and the defender, but they don't contain all the "evidence" that will be presented in the case being made. That is the purpose of the trial - it "opens up" the intricate pieces of evidence for the judge and jury to examine for the purpose of coming to a conclusion about the outcome of the one 'on trial'. Many times, these life-scenes reveal a pretty certain prosecutor who believes his/her case is rock-solid against the one who ultimately is 'under examination'. All the witnesses for the prosecution are believed to be exactly what will bring the "conviction" against the defendant that is ultimately desired.
Remembering that the case is a series of back and forth question or "examinations" that reveal the evidence 'for' or 'against' someone, it is easy to see how important it is to have all the right questions asked. Those questions come to light in the time of 'discovery' BEFORE the trial even begins. The "case" against the defendant is really made in the cross-examination of the witnesses. If the witnesses can have their testimony discredited in some manner, the case against that individual can go down the drain pretty quickly. This is so true about our daily testimony - the facts we present by the actions we display in our lives. The "making" or "breaking" of our "testimony" is determined in the closeness of "cross-examination" that we are placed under in the course of the 'trial'.
We stand "on trial" each and every day for evidence that our testimony is "rock solid" and unwavering. From the way we respond when we are wronged to the response we give when we are called on the carpet for less than stellar behavior - all lead to a conclusion about the "solidness" of our life's testimony. If our first response is to excuse our behavior (even though it has not been stellar), the testimony we give about Jesus is that our behavior really doesn't matter to him (or to us, for that matter). If our response when wronged is that we will turn to retaliation (rather than to forgive the offense), we damage the testimony of God's grace in our own lives. Either way, the testimony we give will betray our true convictions! Just sayin!
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