As Christians, we are persecuted everyday for our following of Christ. It is exhausting and difficult to continue accepting the “beat down” for doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
“32So for everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,” – Matthew 10:32 (ESV)
This verse is so inspiring and uplifting for me in those times of exhaustion. It is simply my role to acknowledge Christ is the reason for my actions of love and the persecution is going to come at all times as there will always be those that do not understand or follow Christ as I do. Jesus makes it clear that when I follow Him and acknowledge Him, I will certainly be rewarded with acknowledgment in heaven with God the Father.
Now, if I choose not to acknowledge Christ:
“33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 10:33 (ESV)
When I choose to turn my back on Christ, He chooses to not acknowledge me with God the Father. That denial before God effectively seals the deal of spending eternity in persecution in hell.
I have a choice every day. The choice I make determines the level of persecution that I will endure. When I choose to acknowledge Jesus, I effectively choose the short term exhaustion based on the persecution of the day. When I choose to deny Jesus, I am choosing a short term win in exchange for an eternity of persecution. That short term win is not worth the long term persecution in my book. Besides, God will only allow me to take on as much as I can take and when I have reached the end, He will allow me to rest just as He did once His work was done.
“3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” – Genesis 2:3 (ESV)
Are you able to acknowledge Jesus daily in spite of the persecution you will receive in the moment? Will you acknowledge Him to avoid Satan? What actions can you take to be sure that you are acknowledging Christ Jesus?
Trevor's Thoughts 