Taking A Stand For Jesus

"Today's Devotion" For June 8, 2006

Read: Luke 21:5-19; Hebrews 10:32-39

TAKING A STAND FOR JESUS

"All men will hate you because of Me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life." (Luke 21:17-19)

It's becoming increasingly obvious that being a Christian isn't easy. If we go back about 20 years or so, one of the first indications of the coming struggle between the followers of Jesus and the world was seen in the "P...ing Christ" "artwork" that put a crucifix into a bottle of urine and called it art. In the Netherlands, cartoons making fun of Islam were published and the people who published them were threatened with death for insulting Islam. Newspapers in the United States refused to publish the cartoons, yet have frequently published anything which "bashes" Christians. To disagree with Islam or other non-Christian religious belief systems is considered closed minded and petty, yet attacking the Christian faith and misapplying laws to wipe out any instance of faith and the things of God in the public arena is okay and acceptable.

How do we respond, as the people of God, to such things? Our sinful nature wants to believe that following Jesus should be easy and comfortable. We have a certain theological perspective running around the Christian Church saying that prosperity and material gain is what God wants for His children. There is a "social gospel" which turns its back on the truth of God's Word in order for "Christianity" and the church to become "relevant" to the world. For decades a theological teaching of "liberation theology" has been the mantra of myriad "social gospel" evangelists, seeking to turn Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection into an act of freedom - not from the curse of the Law and the power of Sin and Death - but from poverty, pain, suffering, loss of personal freedom, and a host of other "social improvements" in society based on the importance we human beings assign them.

Being a Christian, a follower of Jesus, was never supposed to be easy. Jesus noted in the Beatitudes that just as He was persecuted, and the prophets were persecuted, so also would all who confess His name and follow Him (Matthew 5:11, 12). Each day of our lives we're faced with the challenges to our faith and trust in Jesus as the world seeks to denigrate the truth of God's Word and His plan of salvation for the world in Christ. The values and principles for living that God gives us in His Word are ridiculed and ignored by the world because they don't fit with humanity's desire to do things its own way. As a result, the world is a mess. Violence, crime, hatred, and a host of other social and personal maladies affect our culture, our society, and our world. People are dying lost and forlorn, without any hope or peace in their hearts.

Jesus calls us to a different perspective on the world than what's generally held by society and culture. He calls us to expect to be hated because of Him. He warns that such hatred may even lead to death - and we have an idea of the huge numbers of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone and still are going to their deaths because of their confession of Christ. At the same time, our Lord encourages us with the promise that when we take a stand for Him in the midst of a lost, fallen, and hate filled world, we are living our faith and trust in Him. we're standing on His promises and looking to the hope of heaven. Taking a stand for Jesus in every moment of our lives, in every circumstance in which we're placed, and in every challenge to our service in His name has its greatest reward in the promise of sins forgiven and the hope of heaven. Standing firm in Jesus means "life to the full" (John 10:10) as His disciples here on earth, fully confident we are held in the very palm of His hand, and, finally, eternal life - redeemed and restored to the Father forever.

Prayer: Father, it's so very easy to get frustrated by the inequities I experience because the world hates You, throws aside Your Will, ignores Your love, and denigrates Your forgiveness in Christ. Whether it's putting a crucifix - a symbol of Your redemptive work in Jesus - into a bowl of urine, or declaring any mention of You in the public arena to be illegal and unconstitutional, the world daily reflects its animosity toward You and those who love and serve You. Too often, Father, I'd like to put my "head in the sand" and find a way to ignore the reality that being a follower of Jesus means being scorned, ridiculed, and even persecuted. Yet, as Jesus reminds me, if He's treated badly, how else should I expect to be treated. Father, please strengthen me in the great gift of faith You've worked in my heart through the power of Your Word and Spirit, so that I might not be overcome by the challenges to faith the world lays before me. Rather, Father, give me the courage of faith in Christ to live my life "to the full," taking a stand for Jesus in all things and being a true reflection of Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness in Him to everyone I meet. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
************

--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.