STAND UP!
Romans 8:31-39 (35) – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (ESV)
Read: Romans 1:21-32; 2 Corinthians 4:8-11
To stand up in this context is to hold firm to the belief, irrespective of the repercussions. This was the case for Kim Davis, a 49-year-old county clerk who refused to endorse a same-sex marriage certificate in the US. Amidst protests and court orders compelling her to sign, Kim, who earned $80,000 a year, stood her ground and maintained that “she would neither sin against God nor betray her conscience.” She risked her life, lost her job, and ended up in jail as a result.
In another case, insurgents attacked Habila Adamu, a northern Nigerian Christian, after they massacred his neighbours. The extremists asked him to deny Jesus and live. But when he refused, they shot him in the forehead. The bullets pierced through his skull, and yet he survived. God showed up for Habila as He did in the days of Peter, Paul and Silas and the three Hebrew men who were ready to die for the faith.
Beloved, when you stand up for Jesus, He will come through for you. Even when it seems God is not showing up, for you to live is Christ, and to die is gain. This is why Paul went on to say in today’s Bible reading that danger, persecution, and nothing else can separate him from loving the Lord. Regardless of any circumstances, Jesus remains glorified. Be determined to proclaim Him! As you remain a faithful ambassador of God’s kingdom, you will not miss your rewards.
PRAYER
Hymn: Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus – George Duffield, Jr. (1858)
1. Father, help me never to compromise my faith for anything.
2. Please! Pray for the persecuted ones, the missionaries, and the Church.
3. Pray for God’s peace to reign in our hearts and nations.
(MIDNIGHT PRAYER)
1. Any coffins customised for my glory and to trigger my untimely death, catch fire!
2. Father, disgrace my problems, embarrass my oppressors and announce my glory.
3. Powers raiding the bank of my spiritual gifts, health, wealth, and potentials. Be arrested, and I recover my possessions.
WITH CHRIST, YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE!
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