Daily Devotional for Monday, April 27, 2009 Have you missed any of our devotionals? Remember they can be found in the Archive section of our Website
http://www.gospelines.com "The Valley of Persecution" "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12 Persecution is the mantel of the Christian life. There are two facts which are indisputable in our generation: Christians have been persecuted for their faith, or they will be persecuted for their faith. Persecution comes when least expected. It is a favorite tool of the enemy because it strikes at the heart and soul of the victim. It knocks us to our knees, then holds its ugly foot on the back of our necks and laughs hideously at the conquest. It hurts because it comes in the night, sneaking through the darkness from unsuspected sources. Slander and insults are the prolific darts hurled at Christians today. They come from family, co-workers, next-door neighbors, church members and strangers. People we admire, people we love, people we must see every day of our lives knock the wind out of us with nasty remarks, filthy garbage, and unsupported lies. That familiar sick feeling grips our stomachs, tears flood our eyes, and we fight against the anger welling up within our hearts. We want to strike back, retaliate, or defend ourselves against the unjust criticism. The assault against our godly character leaves us feeling powerless, unloved, forgotten and raped of dignity. "God, where are You? Why don't You do something about this?" If you are presently in this valley of persecution, you are walking in the company of the committed: Isaiah was sawn asunder with a wooden saw. Jeremiah, mistreated most of his life by those to whom he ministered, was stoned to death in Egypt after being taken there against his will. Ezekiel was verbally brutalized for his preaching; Amos had to take his prophecies elsewhere; Zechariah was unappreciated. And Jesus, well, you know what happened to Him! In the movie "Dead Poets Society," the teacher of a literature class instructs his students to rip pages from their books which he considered outdated. There are times when I wish I could disregard a Bible passage, rip it out, and ignore its message. A good example is something from Paul in his writing to the church at Corinth: ".When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly." I Cor. 4:6. Not only do we suffer these indignities because we are part of the heritage of committed martyrs, we also are called upon to endure unfair treatment out of loyalty to Jesus. What is our crime? Our crime is Christ. Once we step foot into His kingdom we cannot hold back with one foot in the world. It is all or nothing. And that commitment to Him must be reflected in our response toward our accusers. We cannot turn back when it seems that our Christianity is about to cost us something. Jesus said it is the moment to "leap for joy," a time of unprecedented privilege to stand against the enemy. Finally, we will never be called upon to suffer persecution alone. Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar? The king leaped to his feet and saw, not three, but four men walking around in the fire, "and the fourth looks like a son of the gods," he said. Afterward, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked away from that furnace untouched by the flames. Are you walking in the fire of persecution right now? Look up and see the hand of the Righteous God reaching through to rescue you. He will never leave you alone! GospeLines Prayer: Help me, God! Since I was a child I have heard that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." As an adult, I know how untrue that is and that pain of the spirit can be worse than physical pain. It still feels like more of a curse than a blessing when others "say all manner of evil against me falsely." Father, I am weak in this area of my walk. Please teach me how to turn the other cheek and really mean it, how to leap for joy when I am included in the company of the committed, and not shirk from the privilege of suffering for Your Name's sake. Amen and amen. O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
