For His name's sake

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Romans 8v36 (KJV)

“They kill us in cold blood because they hate You. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.” Romans 8v36 (MSG)

As believers in the world, we often stand out as a sore thumb. Our ideals, beliefs, passion for God seem to go against what the world calls to be acceptable. For example, we see Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who wouldn’t bow to the graven image. The nation of Israel for instance stood out as people who were of God. Likewise, the Church as the body of Christ also stands out in the midst of this generation… and we have been called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5v14). But because we bear the name of Christ, we are called to share in His sufferings as well. John 15v18-22 (AMP) tells us that “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you. Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word and obeyed My teachings, they will also keep and obey yours. But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name and on My account, for they do not know or understand the One Who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” Likewise Paul writing to Timothy said “Take [with me] your share of the hardships and suffering [which you are called to endure] as a good (first-class) soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2v3 (AMP). In all of these, we remember always, that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, and that God works all things together for the good of those that love Him, who are the called according to His purpose. Amen.

  

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your Word this day. We pray that we may know the Lord Jesus more, progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly, and that we may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers, and that we may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness even to His death, in the hope that if possible we may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts us out from among the dead even while in the body in Jesus name, amen. (Ref: Phil 3v10&11, AMP)