'Be
strong and courageous.
Do
not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
For
the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.' (Joshua 1:9)
This
is exactly what God speaks to each of us today.
He
knows that to walk with Him in a world ruled by the evil one
Will
take courage.
It
has taken courage in every generation; Now, is simply our turn.
No
many of us have endured the persecution that those before us have.
Not
many of us have faced jeers and flogging;
Been
chained and put in prison; stoned or sawed in two;
Put
to death by the sword; Gone about in sheepskins and goatskins,
Destitute,
persecuted and mistreated. (Hebrews 11:36-38)
Not
many of us have by faith conquered kingdoms,
Administered
justice, and gained what was promised;
Who
shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames,
And
escaped the edge of the sword;
Whose
weakness was turned to strength;
And
who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
Women
received back their dead, raised to life again.
Others
were tortured and refused to be released,
So
that they might gain a better resurrection. (Hebrews 11:33-35)
However,
it is very likely that this lies before us.
What
will be our response to what others have endured and overcome?
Will
we trust the Lord Who is always with us wherever we go?
How
much do we value the resurrection Christ promises?
Do
we love our lives so much as to shrink from death?
The
world will hate you if you follow Christ Jesus.
The
world hates Christ Jesus because He testifies
That
what it does is evil. (John 7:7)
The
world will hate each one of us for the same reason.
Christ
Jesus said:
If
the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first.
I
you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As
it is, you do not belong to the world,
But
I have chosen you out of the world.
That
is why the world hates you. (John 15:18-19)
Who
do you belong to? The world or to Christ Jesus?
Each
one of us will have to answer that question,
And
be prepared to die for the answer.
We
must get this issue resolved in our hearts now.
Faith
in Christ Jesus is a choice of spiritual LIFE or death.
And
it often comes to the choice of life or death in this world.
Are
you prepared to die for Christ?
Do
you have that much faith and that much courage.
Stephen
did! The elven apostles of the Lord did!
And
many others after them did!
They
all followed the example of Christ Jesus.
They
did not love this life so much as to shrink from death.
(Revelation
12:11)
This
world is going to Hell! The Word of God is clear!
See,
the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it;
He
will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants--
It
will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant,
For
mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for
creditor.
The
earth will be completely laid wast and totally plundered.
The
Lord has spoken this word. (Isaiah 24:1-3)
Read
all of Isaiah 24. There is no hope for this earth and the world.
It
is a godless place that has rejected the Christ of God.
Yet,
any person can turn to Christ Jesus in faith and be saved.
But
it takes courage. It takes Christ Jesus living in and through you.
The
lukewarm will be spit out of the mouth of the Lord. (Revelation 3:16)
They
have no conviction and no courage.
They
hope in the hopelessness of the world. So be it.
Nevertheless,
the courageous:
Will
enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness
and joy will overtake them,
And
sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 51:11)
As
God has written so shall it be! Hallelujah! Maranatha!
Thank you Tom. I pray that all will be saved when HE comes "like a thief in the night"
ReplyDeleteAmen and God bless you!.