Silent Persecution

2 Corinthians 7:4

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

I have been reading the book, Revolution in World Missions, by J.P. Yohannan; it is his story about being a missionary.  As he is describing how he views the people of the United States he makes the statement “Americans have never known the fear of persecution”.  Although the entire description was a real eye-opener, actually heart-opener, for me, this statement stuck out to me and I must say I agree with him 100%, but after a week of this on my mind something came to me tonight.  I have been constantly wondering why have we not had to suffer persecution for the sake of the gospel?  What makes us different than a large part of the world?  Then it hit me---the idea of the silent persecution.  No, we are not physically persecuted for serving Christ, but have we been ever-so-slightly silenced from spreading the gospel?  We have no problems going to church and worshiping Jesus with boldness, but what about other places?  As Christians, we have become tolerant and complacent with our faith.  Jesus might have shown everyone love, but he was never tolerant of sin and he was definitely not complacent with his ministry.  Aren’t we called to follow his example?  Now don’t get me wrong, while we have been silenced to some degree, we have allowed it to happen.  Instead of being bold and saying ‘no, we will pray no matter what’, we made excuses for why prayer was taken away from certain places.  How many other things have we, as Christians, allowed to fall to the wayside because we don’t want to offend anyone with our religion?  Really we don’t want to offend, when the Bible calls us to be bold!  What will it take for us to bind together as Christians and say no more.  When will we wake up from this silence? 

I was shocked to see the negative comments about Tim Tebow for being bold with his faith and love for Jesus Christ.  In fact, a fellow Christian even remarked that he should tone down his boldness.  Really?  I have not found that instruction anywhere in God’s Word.  Mr. Tebow has a large platform and he is using it---no matter what anyone has to say about him.  No one is physically persecuting him, but he is definitely under a lot of pressure to be silent.  Think about this…Satan is smart and he knows that he cannot use physical persecution in the United States.  He knows that if it happened that it would cause us Christians to rise up for the sake of the gospel, so he uses the tool of silence.  He is blinding us with silence.  We will not make it to heaven by being silent, tolerant, and complacent.  We will join Jesus in heaven after we join him on earth!

Let us not forget that this is not our home and that we are not of this world.

I Peter 2:11-12

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.  Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Philippians 3:20

 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ"

Great link with many scriptures about boldness.
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=boldness&version1=50&searchtype=all

Love and Sacrifice....Where Am I At?

Today’s Reading:  Mark 12:28-40

Love and sacrifice.  Those are the two words that come to mind after reading these scriptures.  And doesn’t love, true love, come through some sort of sacrifice?  Don’t we sacrifice for those we love?  If we don’t, then should we?  Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and his sacrifice came because of his love for us.  His love for us was far greater than any type of suffering that he would have to endure.  Think about that last statement, his love was greater than any suffering when it came to making a way for us to be with him.  So if I am to follow Christ, if I am suppose to use his life as an example to live by, then what am I sacrificing?  I sacrifice for my children, for my husband, and for others, some I know and even some I don’t know, so how much more should I be sacrificing for Jesus?  If we are to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength, than should we be sacrificing with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength?  I can confidently, but regrettably say that I know without a doubt that I am not sacrificing enough for Jesus Christ.  He died for me, what am I doing for him?  Am I loving him enough?  Am I loving him more than my own life?

I leave you with these questions, because I myself am pondering these questions and where I am on my walk with Christ. 

Truth!

Today’s Reading:  Mark 12:1-27

I know that Jesus is the son of God and that he knows everything before it is spoken, but throughout these scriptures I am amazed at the intelligence and humbleness of his words.  He speaks to those that hate him, those that he knows will betray him with such truth and conviction.  What is he showing me here?  Maybe to speak the truth no matter whom I face?   He tells us many times in His word to stand on truth, but here he is showing us how.  When he told the parable, they knew he was speaking about them without ever calling a name.  Why?  Because speaking the truth will only reveal the truth in those that hear it.  Even when those deny it, like these men did, it still stirred the truth within them.  Sometimes I want so bad for people to see the truth, but my job is not to open the eyes and hearts of people, that God’s job, my job is to speak the truth and only the truth.  It is so easy to say what people want to hear, to say things that you know will not offend, to say things that may benefit you, but that is not the way it is suppose to be.  Again, Jesus never told us that following him would be easy, but as Christians, we can’t look for the easy path, we look for the right path, the true path----that is the only path that will lead us to Jesus.

As we live for Christ we will always have people trying to trip us up, trying to make us look bad, trying to cause doubt in our lives, but we have to live by the example that Jesus has set before us.  Again, speak the truth!  However, in order to speak the truth, we have to know the truth and that truth is in knowing God’s Word.  God pointed that out to some of the men that were questioning him in verse 24.  I will be the first to admit that I cannot begin to stand against the enemy without having the Word living inside of me.  Now I don’t mean that one needs to know the Bible from cover to cover, in fact, just knowing the story doesn’t make it truth within you.  I have learned that I have to read it, think on it, and seek Jesus to reveal the truth in what I have read, and I have to do this daily.  It is unbelievable how much better my day flows when I read God’s Word first and spend time with Him prior to starting my day.  I am not saying that those days are perfect, but I am able to handle the things that come my way.  Our strength comes from our faith in Jesus Christ and staying in his Word, the Truth, can only strengthen that faith.

I pray all the time for Jesus to please allow me to know the truth, for me to see through anything that is not of Him and reveal the truth of who he is in all that I do.  I know that Satan is right there trying to cover the truth, trying to confuse the truth, and trying to hide the truth from God's children, but he can only be successful if we let him.  We have to be intentional with whom we will listen to and I can tell you that Jesus will show us the truth when we seek him with our whole heart. 

Thank you Jesus for your Word of Truth---I cannot make it through this life without it!

THINK ON THESE THINGS!

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.    Philippians 4:8

Alright, once again it has been a little while since my last post and I can definitely tell a difference in my walk with Christ because of it.  I have been reading the Bible and praying, but it is not the same as a commitment to truly studying God’s Word.  It is not about the ‘blog’, but about the accountability.  I have said it many times, but I will say it again…I cannot truly live for Jesus without completely immersing myself in Him.  I just can’t do it, and when I try, I get back off track.  I have to admit; I have let things get to me that I should have let God take care of.  I allowed myself to dwell on the negative words of others instead of moving on with my life with Jesus in control.  I know that Jesus led me in the direction of writing this blog in order for me to draw closer to Him and I am not going to let him down now!  So tonight, I am recommitting myself to writing regularly.  So here goes my latest thought…which turns out to be a big lesson that I have learned!

I cannot tell you how many times I have read Philippians 4:8, but until tonight I never realized how important that scriptures is.  Every scripture is truth, every scripture is inspired by God, and every scripture is a message that will assist us in deepening our relationship with Jesus, but God is revealing a truth within this scripture that will change your life when you apply it!  Think about this, what if we intentionally focused on the honest things, true things, pure things, and good reports?  What would happen?  So along with that question, I had to ask this question of myself….what am I thinking about?  What does my mind dwell upon?  There are so many bad things in this world and it is very easy to let those things take over your thoughts, but that is a ploy of Satan.  He thinks if he can put enough negative around us that we will focus on that and forget about all the good that surrounds us.  I have to admit that I am guilty of falling victim to this attack, but no more.  God has blessed me more than I deserve and no amount of negativity will ever be able to take that away from me.  So how will I do this?  I will have to depend on Jesus to fill my thoughts, but I will have to be very intentional with the focus of my mind.  I will write this scripture on index cards and place them wherever I can see them.  Instead of accepting the negative that is usually thrown in my face, I will seek out the good that Satan tries so hard to hide.  I will stand on truth because there is nothing else to stand upon!  I will think upon the good things of this life, live with virtue, and praise the Lord God with my words!

The Truth of God's Word!

Today’s Reading:  Mark 11

What a powerful chapter, so many lessons to be not only learned, but absorbed.  I have come to realize that I not only need to learn about the truth of God’s Word, but in order to live for Christ in this world I have to absorb it into every ounce of me. 

I think about the disciples that were ordered by Jesus to go into town that day and get the colt.  What were they thinking?  I am sure they thought it was a strange request, but they did it anyway.  How many times have I not done something that Jesus asked me to do because I didn’t understand?  I would probably be embarrassed if I added them all up.  I don’t know about you, but I have got to stop trying to figure everything out and just do what Jesus asks me to do---it is just that simple!  Then I try to imagine what it would be like to be there where everyone is spreading some type of covering on the road before Jesus.  In the midst of a crowd shouting “Hosanna in the highest”, while the Highest is passing before me.  Then I think He is here, he is right in the midst of everything I do, whether I acknowledge him or not---He is right here as I write these words.  And now I can’t help but cry because of two reasons---the thought that he is here and the thought of how many times I have failed to recognize him.   

How real he was in the temple that day.  How disappointed he must have been in what was taking place in the temple, his house.  Is he disappointed with what is taking place in my house?  Is he disappointed with what is taking place in our churches?  Our schools?  Our work places?  Our government?  My children and I pray every morning on the way to school and we make a point to pray that no matter where we go, no matter what we are doing we ask God to help us to remember him first in all that we do, to seek him before any decision and to guide our words, actions, and thoughts to conform to his will.  Now I know that my children and I do not have perfect days, but we say this to acknowledge that we serve Jesus Christ and that we know that we are not capable within ourselves to be good without Him living within us.  So while we mess up, I honestly think that we are not disappointing God.  While the church is a sacred place, I also think that as Christians our responsibility for conducting ourselves appropriately should follow us no matter where we find ourselves. 

As I read about the fig tree I couldn’t help but think about the fruit that I bear.  I so don’t want Jesus to find me useless to his kingdom.  Just to be perfectly honest, I want Jesus to think, ‘I love Rosanne, I wish she would listen to me more, but I see that she is being a witness and that she is striving to learn more about me, that she is growing in me each day.’  I know that my fruit may not be as bountiful and as beautiful as it needs to be, but I want Jesus to find me about his business, I want him to find me loving him more each day.  You know if I could tell Jesus one thing, I would tell him that I love him.  I am so grateful, so thankful for everything he has blessed me with, but in all honesty I just want him to know that I truly love him with all that I have in me.

The religious leaders of that time questioned Jesus’ authority----we should not be surprised when people question us and what we stand for.  The Bible is very plain when it speaks of the trials, tribulations, and persecutions that we as Christians will face.  We are to count it all as joy.  I will be the first to admit that the valley is no fun place to be, but praise God that I find myself there because of two reasons…It is truly the place in which I grow closer to Christ and I know I am living for Jesus when the world attacks.

So I covered more scripture than I usually do, but it just kept coming tonight and I thank God for the message that he gave me through these scriptures, His Words.  I continue to be amazed at his grace and mercy in my life.  I thank him for opening my eyes and my heart a little more today to see a little clearer His will for my life.  Thank you God for revealing the truth through your Word!

How Can I Thank Him Enough?

Today’s Reading:  II Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thank you, thank you, thank you father for the persecutions in my life, for although they may cause me strife and discomfort, compared to what Paul faced and what others around the world face each day it is nothing and with each trouble that I do face I will be reminded that it is not about me, but about you.  I am also reminded of what is written on this little bag that I tote around with me.  It has a red cross painted at the top followed by these words:

GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON.  JOHN 3:16

THIS MESSAGE IS ILLEGAL IN 53 COUNTRIES.

RESTRICTED NATIONS: 40              HOSTILE AREAS: 13

I choose this bag to carry my everyday supplies of pens, pencils, sticky notes, paper clips, etc. for a reason.  I knew I would have it with me all the time and that I would be reminded of what a privileged life I lead simply because I do not have to live in fear of serving Jesus Christ.  That I never have to hide my Bible.  That I never have to worry about saying the name of Jesus.  That I do not have to hide to pray to my God.  That I do not have to seek a secret place to worship my Father.  How can I complain about one thing?  I can’t!

I will be the first to admit that I let things get to me a little too much sometimes.  That I try to take care of the situation instead of seeking Jesus for what I should do.  That I become very defensive, not so much about myself, as the people I love.  But that is what makes me human, that is my flesh, and that is what also keeps me grounded in your guidance and love.  It is just another reminder that I cannot do this on my own.  I cannot live this life without you.   My life is pointless if I don’t allow you in it.

So did I do everything right today? No!  But do I love Jesus more at this moment than I did yesterday? Yes!!!!  So once again I learn about the truth of James’ words…. “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2).  It is these trials that draw us closer to Christ, that allow us to see the big picture a little clearer, and to deepen the love for others a little bit more.  Compared to others my persecutions, my trials, seem extremely insignificant, but to God they are not.  Not because of the specific trial or persecution, but because they affect me and he cares about that.  He loves me more than I will ever be able to comprehend and once again I thank him for his will in my life.  I thank him for the problems in my life because each one draws me closer to him and my dependence on him deepens with each one.

Bartimaeus, Just One Man

Mark 10:46-52

One short story about one man that was only mentioned once in the Bible, yet what I have learned from the story of Bartimaeus is immeasurable.  So I made a list of what I learned from him…

v  Seek Jesus! (Even if you have to shout his name.)

v  Don’t Ever Get Discouraged! (Keep on even when people are telling you to keep quiet.)

v  Run to Jesus When He Calls Your Name! (Even when it means you have to throw down everything else.)

v  Tell Jesus What You Want!  (He wants to hear from you---besides he already knows what you want in your heart anyway.)

v  Believe He Will Answer!  (And when it is not immediate, keep on believing.)

v  Follow Jesus! (But always remember that follow means you are letting Him lead the way.)

What faith Bartimaeus had in Jesus Christ, he never wavered in his faith, even though he could not see Jesus, he still knew he was there.  Jesus even told him that it was his faith that healed him.  Don’t you think that might me significant?  We can’t see him either, yet our faith should be just as strong as if he were standing right in front of us. 

Such a Time!

Mark 10:32-45

So have you ever knew that God was calling you to do something and you really didn’t want to do it, so you did everything mentally to convince yourself that it is really not what God wants you to do?  I mean something big, something that involves great change for my life, something that will force me to step out of my comfort zone.  Something that when I think about it long enough my heart begins to actually ache.  The words from Esther have continued to run through my mind for a very long time now and I am constantly reminded that Esther never chose her destiny---God chose her!

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14

Now I am definitely not seeking a royal position, however, I have thought many times why me?  Why can’t someone else step up and do something…why does it have to be me?  And then God reminds me…why not you?  I say I want to step out and follow the call of God, but is that just when I agree with what he is calling me to do?  So I think back to yesterday’s post---what have I left?  What have I gave up?  Am I just trying to convince myself that God has not asked me to give up something?  

Well I wrote this before I read today’s scriptures, and now after reading today’s reading I am drawn to the words of Jesus in verses 43-45… “Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

So what is the connection?  Esther could have enjoyed her life and never risked her life for the sake of others.  Jesus, although he was the son of God, also made the choice of giving his life for the sake of others…those others, the ransom for many that he spoke of, was you and I. 

I don’t want to just walk through this life and live day to day in the same routine.  I want to live my life to the fullest and that doesn’t always mean to live the way I want to.  I can only live this life once and I can only live it to the fullest when I give it, completely give it to Jesus and allow him to lead the way.  I have to let go of what I am trying to hold on to and step onto the path that Jesus is shining his light on.  It may be hard to see now, but I know with each step his light will shine even brighter and I will see it a little clearer!