"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2Timothy2:3.
So after reading the passage above, one question comes to mind, have you been enduring any hardships recently as a result of your being a follower of Jesus?
So after reading the passage above, one question comes to mind, have you been enduring any hardships recently as a result of your being a follower of Jesus?
Consider the following from the Gospel of John15:18 and 19--"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of this world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
I believe I might have told this story once before in one of my earlier posts but it bears repeating here. Years ago during the furor surrounding the film, The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, Gibson's co-star in three of his earlier movies had this to say about him (paraphrasing): "I didn't realize he was religious." This certainly isn't the kind of comment any professed Christian would want to hear.
Let me ask you this: Do friends, those you work with and acquaintances know you are a follower of Jesus? Have you been mocked, ridiculed or made fun of because of your faith? Is your speech and conduct "not of this world"? What I mean by this is that you don't engage in the gossip and unGodly conversation so common in society these days. Do you watch television shows and movies that you know a believer should not watch? Have you experienced criticism for spending time in prayer and reading the Bible?
If you find yourself on the wrong side of one or more of these questions some serious self-evaluation is needed.
As someone becomes more "of the world" they become more removed from the presence of Our Lord.Often times this worldliness starts very subtley and slowly grows. Before you know it, all a self-professed believer thinks they have to do to stay in God's good graces is show up at Church on Sunday. Anyone casually familiar with the Bible knows how wrong that belief is.
What is needed is to refocus on Jesus through prayer, Bible reading and fasting. Prayer and reading of Scripture must be done daily. Here is where you draw closer to Him and feel His presence. As you become accustomed to these "disciplines" you will find yourself looking forward to these moments during the day. I find it interesting when people tell me they don't always have the time to do this yet spend an hour or more at the gym.
In closing, living God's way and not the world's may very well bring hardship in this world but the benefits in this life and after are immeasurable.
I believe I might have told this story once before in one of my earlier posts but it bears repeating here. Years ago during the furor surrounding the film, The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, Gibson's co-star in three of his earlier movies had this to say about him (paraphrasing): "I didn't realize he was religious." This certainly isn't the kind of comment any professed Christian would want to hear.
Let me ask you this: Do friends, those you work with and acquaintances know you are a follower of Jesus? Have you been mocked, ridiculed or made fun of because of your faith? Is your speech and conduct "not of this world"? What I mean by this is that you don't engage in the gossip and unGodly conversation so common in society these days. Do you watch television shows and movies that you know a believer should not watch? Have you experienced criticism for spending time in prayer and reading the Bible?
If you find yourself on the wrong side of one or more of these questions some serious self-evaluation is needed.
As someone becomes more "of the world" they become more removed from the presence of Our Lord.Often times this worldliness starts very subtley and slowly grows. Before you know it, all a self-professed believer thinks they have to do to stay in God's good graces is show up at Church on Sunday. Anyone casually familiar with the Bible knows how wrong that belief is.
What is needed is to refocus on Jesus through prayer, Bible reading and fasting. Prayer and reading of Scripture must be done daily. Here is where you draw closer to Him and feel His presence. As you become accustomed to these "disciplines" you will find yourself looking forward to these moments during the day. I find it interesting when people tell me they don't always have the time to do this yet spend an hour or more at the gym.
In closing, living God's way and not the world's may very well bring hardship in this world but the benefits in this life and after are immeasurable.
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