It seems like Jesus is telling us to not sit on the fence in telling the world to whom you belong. Since I believe that many of us prefer staying anonymous about the One who controls our life, I believe it would behoove us to seek God intentionally as we study this passage of Scripture today.
DATE POSTED Monday, 2021-08-30
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL
BY: Ed Algreen
SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 12:8-9
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)
BIBLE TEXT: 8 That’s why I keep telling you not to be intimidated. If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers. 9 But if you deny Me before others, you will be denied before God and all the heavenly messengers.
APPLICATION: Some may wonder why Jesus felt that it is important to identify yourself as a child of the King or not. What happens to good men who refuses to tell females that he is married? Is he not placing himself in a position of being solicited by unmarried women? Remember how Peter responded when put on the spot about his relationship with the Lord Jesus? ‘I never knew Him’ was one of the responses. Would that be your response if an aggressive member of management sought to rid his company of all ‘Christians’? The Holy Spirit really invoked a deep concern when I read this Scripture, for I am quick to stand in church and say that I’m a child of the King, but in reading the last sentence by Jesus in our Scripture, I wonder whether I am bold enough in my faith to stand before terrorists and give the same testimony as I would in church. Jesus said that if we reject the idea of identifying with Him before this world, then He would reject us before the father and His angels in heaven. Friends, I believe that just as we are proud to say that we are married, and name the one we are married to, we should be just as honest about saying who we identify with in the heavenly realm. If we feel like we will be happy to hug Jesus and greet Him with great anticipation when we enter the gates of heaven, then we should be just as free to acknowledge Him before our family, friends, coworkers and this world as well. Will this bring unwanted opposition from our circle of influence? I believe it might, but will that cause us to change our mind about who’s in charge of our life and our destiny? Dear friend, Jesus is the one who gave up His life for our heavenly benefit. He loved us enough, and went to that degree, so that He might identify with those who would have Him. Won’t you accept Jesus as your Lord and everlasting King and let Him rule in your heart every day here on earth and when we enter His presence in Glory? Let me suggest that we all ask Jesus for greater faith and greater boldness to proclaim our relationship with Him to everyone here on earth. I am convinced that Jesus will protect us from harm, and bless us for our boldness and commitment to Him.
BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus will identify with us before God and the angels, when we identify with Him! I can only imagine that He finds reason every day to be proud of us before the Father!
PRAYER: Precious Lord, please forgive us for being such cowards to disown You before our counterparts here on earth when it seems like they may be a threat to us. Perhaps they are testing us to make sure that we are who we say we are. Please give us strength and a real boldness to overcome the evil one and stand firm in our faith. May we trust You enough to proclaim our identity with You, and may You be lifted up and praise by everyone that we come into contact with. May others be impressed by our stand, and may they be reaffirmed in their faith, so that You will be praised all the more here on earth. AMEN!