Acts 24:16
So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward
both God and man.
Paul spoke these words when he was giving an account of
himself to his followers. He was under
attack from his enemies at the time. He
wanted his followers to know that he was under attack because he was leading a
life that conflicted with how his attackers wanted to live their lives. Paul may have been the first to warn us about
living our lives according to political correctness and not according to the
teachings of Jesus Christ.
How many of us take the comfortable silent path of
"tolerance" in order to avoid being accused of being a fervent
believer and devoted servant of Jesus Christ? Unfortunately, this is exactly where the
world wants us. Much of what we see,
hear and read that comes from the world is designed to desensitize us to evil
and to move us away from the holy life style to which Jesus Christ calls us. When we give in to what the world wants to
hear, we give in to Satan. We diminish
our testimony that goes out to those who need to hear the truth.
It has become all too common to hear of the slaughter of
Christians around the world. In most of
these heinous cases, the martyrs are asked to deny Christ. Those who proclaim their loyalty to their
Savior are subsequently beheaded or otherwise mercilessly killed. What is remarkable is how many continue to
proclaim their faith in the face of the slaughter. Be certain that the faith of the first victim
works to strengthen all the way to the last victim. One after another they lift and strengthen
each other.
We will be held accountable for our testimony. What we stand
for does make a difference. Let us strengthen one another through the bold expression of our faith.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the Holy Spirit
to keep us mindful of the truths that You have revealed to us through the life
of Your Son, Jesus, and through the writings in Your Holy Word. We pray that You enlighten us so that we may avoid the tricks of the wicked designed to get us to accept the self-serving ways of the flesh. As we live by your Word, Lord, we ask that You strengthen us to stand up to the ridicule
and hatred of the world. Teach us, Lord, to rely on the
Holy Spirit to help us to become bold ambassadors for Our Savior. May those around us be strengthened by our faith. We ask
all these things in the name of the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.
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