Revelation 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and sitting
on them were those who had been given the right to judge. And I saw the
souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus,
for proclaiming the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the Creature
or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands.
They had come to life again and now they reigned with Christ for a
thousand years.
The Living
Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All
rights reserved.
You and I cannot fathom literally
losing our heads for speaking of Jesus and proclaiming the Word of God.
And yet, it happens in our world even today. In Columbine, Colorado, a
teenage girl was shot when she told her assailant she knew Jesus. In
Charleston, South Carolina, family members of the victims told their
murderer in court, “I forgive you.” In a way, these are forms of
“losing your head” for Jesus. Many Christians are persecuted every day
in our own back yards because they prayerfully speak what they believe
is God’s truth, while others condemn them – and sometimes physically
abuse them!
The Bible tells us that those who stand firm and
serve as God’s witnesses will be rewarded. We are promised that we will
be given yet another “new life in Christ” for our faithfulness and
steadfast delivery of His message to the world. OUR JOB is to be
certain that this is the message we are delivering…that we are doing the
work of Jesus Christ and not that of the conniving, sly agents of the
devil!
Sadly, there are a lot of people who believe they are
doing God’s work…that they are sharing the message of Christ. And all
the while, they are judging and condemning others, acting out of hate
and fear rather than love, and demonstrating anything but Jesus’ grace
and mercy. As I read this scripture verse, I pictured the day of
judgment…and the countless “Christians” who THOUGHT they were serving
God but had actually accepted the mark of the devil and perpetuated His
message! These souls will be sorely disappointed and dismayed when
Christ raises His church – and they are not among the saints!
We
must be diligent and very careful as we study God’s word and follow the
teachings of Jesus. We must make certain that our thoughts, words and
actions line up with His. We must be prepared to take the abuse and
criticism that may come…willing to literally lose our heads (although
hopefully, it will never come to that) in order to speak and live God’s
truth. I don’t know where or how you and I will come face to face with
Jesus…but I want to be certain that He is pleased with me in that
moment. I want to know that He will raise me to new life with Him…and I
am doing all I can to ensure that I always operate in His will – and no one else’s. What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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