Saturday Rhapsody Of Realities - It's Part of The Deal!

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God (2 Timothy 1:8). Some people become ashamed of Jesus Christ and some of us ministers of the Gospel, especially when we are criticized. When people insult us and cast aspersions on us and the Gospel, how do you feel? Do you become ashamed, and wish you weren't associated with us? This was the kind of situation that Apostle Paul found himself; he had been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, and from prison, he wrote a letter to his protégé, Timothy, saying, "Don't be ashamed of me".

You can imagine all kinds of terrible things that might have been said against Paul while he was in prison; only God knows what the charge was. Yet, he tells Timothy: "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God" (2 Timothy 1:8). There's joy and fulfilment that you get from being persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution". Persecution is part of the deal; it's part of the blessing of preaching the Gospel. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12: "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." This conviction made Paul to say, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..." (Romans 1:16). There shouldn't be anything anyone can say or do to make you ashamed of Christ and His Gospel. The Gospel is the power of God to save, to help, to lift, and to bless all men! Therefore, never be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; preach it with boldness, and testify always of your union with Christ.

PRAYER: Dear Father, I'm courageous about the Gospel, the only message that can save sinners, and bring them out of darkness into the glorious life of righteousness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I minister grace to the unsaved around me, and usher them into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Further Study: Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Daily Scripture Reading

1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Luke 4:1-13, Deuteronomy 18-21

2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Matthew 24:34-44, Exodus 30