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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also
acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men,
I will disown him before My Father in heaven.”
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' “
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Matthew 10:32-42
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' “
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Matthew 10:32-42
“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges Me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns Me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
“Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell
you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against
each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided,
father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter
against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law
against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:8-10, 51-53
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we have seen in earlier devotions, Jesus’ disciples learned in a hurry that life was far from business as usual when it came to following Him. Jesus made sure they knew that some would love them and some would hate them, the same experience that He was going through.
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we have seen in earlier devotions, Jesus’ disciples learned in a hurry that life was far from business as usual when it came to following Him. Jesus made sure they knew that some would love them and some would hate them, the same experience that He was going through.
In other words, things change when we make the choice to partner
with Jesus in life.
Fast forward to today and we find that things haven’t
changed a whole lot. Different parts of society and our world reject and persecute
anyone who even mentions the name of Jesus; other parts of society embrace
Christians and seek fellowship with them. We find strong convictions on either
side of the ledger.
Indeed, serving our Savior is not for the faint of heart
for it literally alters the landscape of one’s life and reveals quickly that change
is required.
If you doubt that, then you only need to go to 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5, verse 17, and read these words:
If you doubt that, then you only need to go to 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5, verse 17, and read these words:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Yes, Christ is synonymous with change, for He requires us to turn from the world and its ways, giving ourselves fully to Him instead while sacrificing fully as He sacrificed for us.
So what if we decide to not fully surrender to Him?
Well, that action is far from advisable. If you don’t
believe me, read these words from today’s scripture:
"Whoever
acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in
heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father
in heaven.”
Wishing we belonged to the world more than our Savior is simply akin to disowning Him, deciding that the world holds more for us than He does. This heart attitude is something our Lord will simply not settle for and frankly He shouldn’t.
Wishing we belonged to the world more than our Savior is simply akin to disowning Him, deciding that the world holds more for us than He does. This heart attitude is something our Lord will simply not settle for and frankly He shouldn’t.
What is His response to someone disowning Him?
Simply, He returns the favor but trust me when I say that
His rejection of us is far more damaging. Consider this scene for a moment:
You pass away and as you come before God, Jesus tells
Him, Father I don’t know him or her. And with that, you are rejected from
eternal life, having lost the justification that comes through Jesus and Jesus
alone. Your destination is not a life that ends in death but rather a perpetual
afterlife sent in the misery of damnation.
That’s what being disowned by Jesus looks like in the end.
Not a pretty sight, is it?
On the flip side, one can receive and accept Jesus as
Savior, a decision that changes everything.
For the prior scene would now look like this:
You pass away and as you come before God, Jesus tells
Him, Father I know him or her and have already paid the penalty for their sins.
And with that, you are welcomed into eternal life with God and Jesus forever, having
received justification that comes through Jesus and Jesus alone (justification
meaning you have been washed clean and made as if you had never sinned). You
are destined for an everlasting life where you will be made new, as new as the
heavens and earth that will emerge as the old are utterly destroyed. You will
be rid of sin, suffering, affliction, and heartbreak forever.
Compare this to the other outcome and I think anyone in
their right mind would pick the latter. In the end translation, there are no
other choices but the two. You either know Jesus or you don’t. It’s as
fundamental as that.
So given the truths from this devotion to this point, ask
yourself this:
How could anyone choose to disown Jesus with so much personally
at stake?
Well, sometimes people do because they are pressured by others. For standing up for the cause of Jesus is not going to be accepted by everyone, even by friends or those in your own family. Indeed, at times the name of Jesus doesn’t bring peace but rather conflict, something Jesus was well aware of as indicated in these words from our passage:
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' “
I think I may have shared a testimony about my own father who disowned me for a year and a half after learning my fiancĂ©e was African-American. He decided to disown me over that time but my wife and I did not reciprocate. Rather, we continued to respond to Him in love and grace and forgiveness, even if he never returned it to us. When the situation came to a resolution point, something miraculous happened. My father was overcome by Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit and he remained a completely changed man until his passing, the day he received his gift of salvation. You see, when it was all said and done with, it was evident the root of my father’s problem wasn’t embedded in bias or prejudice but rather that he didn’t have Jesus in his life. What started as conflict, ended in peace because my father accepted and received His Savior, the Prince of Peace, into his heart, mind and soul.
Looking back, I hate to imagine what might have happened if either my wife or I had decided to disown Jesus, abandoning His word and will to follow our own. Actually, I don’t need to imagine for the scriptures tell me that we would have been disowned by Him and that’s not a place anyone should ever want to be. This is why we need to know our Bible and the wisdom contained within, so we can make the right and proper decisions when faced with life’s circumstances.
Yes, Jesus wants our loyalty but He wants so much more. For simply adhering to loyalty can simply be done through a sense of obligation or duty, a person being loyal only because they feel they have to be. Going back to the scriptures, we can see Jesus just doesn’t want our loyalty but our love and lives as well, and not just a little of each but all.
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
I often tell people that I would never put anyone or anybody ahead of Jesus. Not my wife. Not my mother. Not my two daughters or three grandchildren. Not any of my four siblings.
Well, sometimes people do because they are pressured by others. For standing up for the cause of Jesus is not going to be accepted by everyone, even by friends or those in your own family. Indeed, at times the name of Jesus doesn’t bring peace but rather conflict, something Jesus was well aware of as indicated in these words from our passage:
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' “
I think I may have shared a testimony about my own father who disowned me for a year and a half after learning my fiancĂ©e was African-American. He decided to disown me over that time but my wife and I did not reciprocate. Rather, we continued to respond to Him in love and grace and forgiveness, even if he never returned it to us. When the situation came to a resolution point, something miraculous happened. My father was overcome by Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit and he remained a completely changed man until his passing, the day he received his gift of salvation. You see, when it was all said and done with, it was evident the root of my father’s problem wasn’t embedded in bias or prejudice but rather that he didn’t have Jesus in his life. What started as conflict, ended in peace because my father accepted and received His Savior, the Prince of Peace, into his heart, mind and soul.
Looking back, I hate to imagine what might have happened if either my wife or I had decided to disown Jesus, abandoning His word and will to follow our own. Actually, I don’t need to imagine for the scriptures tell me that we would have been disowned by Him and that’s not a place anyone should ever want to be. This is why we need to know our Bible and the wisdom contained within, so we can make the right and proper decisions when faced with life’s circumstances.
Yes, Jesus wants our loyalty but He wants so much more. For simply adhering to loyalty can simply be done through a sense of obligation or duty, a person being loyal only because they feel they have to be. Going back to the scriptures, we can see Jesus just doesn’t want our loyalty but our love and lives as well, and not just a little of each but all.
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
I often tell people that I would never put anyone or anybody ahead of Jesus. Not my wife. Not my mother. Not my two daughters or three grandchildren. Not any of my four siblings.
No one gets my first love but Him and Him alone. After
all, the scriptures tell us that we only love because He first loved us (1 John
4:19).
When I do share this with others, I often hear people say:
When I do share this with others, I often hear people say:
“I’m not quite ready to do that yet. I love my (fill in
the blank with the object of their desire) too much.”
Still others look at me like I’m crazy which is exactly
the way you would expect someone in the world to respond.
Did I mention that change is required when you choose to
follow Jesus?
Part of that change is giving Him your full devotion,
putting Him first and at the center of your attention, placing Him at the top
of the hierarchy of people you love and cherish.
You see, living for the world will have us applying all our desire love on the perishable, so much so that when we lose the one we value and love so much, we are left with a void that no one can fill. I can’t count how many people I have ministered to who were simply left waste emotionally, psychologically, and even physically bankrupt because they had lost a father, mother, husband, wife or child. They ended up that way because they had their dedicated love attached to someone who was only here for the short term instead of Jesus who will endure forever, never leaving or forsaking anyone who places their hole in Him.
Friends, we shouldn’t make this hard. We should make Jesus the focal point of all our affection and then allow Him to send His love through us to share with others, family or otherwise. This allows us to avoid loving based on our own impulses and instead center our desire on the perfect Son of God, the One who first loved sacrificially so we would know how to do it ourselves.
How do we get there from here?
We retrace the steps of Jesus in our own lives. We take up our cross and walk with Him to Calvary, the place where He was crucified and gave up everything. Once there with Him, we need to be willing to lose our life as well for His sake. Anyone who is not willing to do this is not worthy of receiving the salvation that Jesus offers for they have chosen to value the world more, losing eternal life in the process.
In sum, loyalty, love, and life. Jesus expects us to give all of them to Him and to give them to Him completely. Anything less sells short the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who took away the sins of all mankind.
This is why it’s critically important for us to remember a change is required when one chooses to accept Jesus, not just partial change but complete and uncompromising.
Given this, how well have you done in surrendering all to Him as He surrendered all for you?
It’s a question you would be well advised to answer soon. Your very ticket to eternity is at stake.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
You see, living for the world will have us applying all our desire love on the perishable, so much so that when we lose the one we value and love so much, we are left with a void that no one can fill. I can’t count how many people I have ministered to who were simply left waste emotionally, psychologically, and even physically bankrupt because they had lost a father, mother, husband, wife or child. They ended up that way because they had their dedicated love attached to someone who was only here for the short term instead of Jesus who will endure forever, never leaving or forsaking anyone who places their hole in Him.
Friends, we shouldn’t make this hard. We should make Jesus the focal point of all our affection and then allow Him to send His love through us to share with others, family or otherwise. This allows us to avoid loving based on our own impulses and instead center our desire on the perfect Son of God, the One who first loved sacrificially so we would know how to do it ourselves.
How do we get there from here?
We retrace the steps of Jesus in our own lives. We take up our cross and walk with Him to Calvary, the place where He was crucified and gave up everything. Once there with Him, we need to be willing to lose our life as well for His sake. Anyone who is not willing to do this is not worthy of receiving the salvation that Jesus offers for they have chosen to value the world more, losing eternal life in the process.
In sum, loyalty, love, and life. Jesus expects us to give all of them to Him and to give them to Him completely. Anything less sells short the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who took away the sins of all mankind.
This is why it’s critically important for us to remember a change is required when one chooses to accept Jesus, not just partial change but complete and uncompromising.
Given this, how well have you done in surrendering all to Him as He surrendered all for you?
It’s a question you would be well advised to answer soon. Your very ticket to eternity is at stake.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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