Thoughts for another day

Aug. 12, 2009

Today's verse: 2 Tim. 1:8. 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; (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

A long time ago, though I’d carry the Bible, I’d not dare open it when traveling in the train. On my cell phone, I’ve the picture of Jesus and when I get a call, I feel that I should handle it in such a way that others don’t see the picture. But, my zeal for God has enabled me to make Jesus known to others in some way, perhaps in affirming a moral truth or in His sovereignty. This may not tantamount to proclaiming the Gospel because I believe it not to be the appropriate moment for I hold that the Spirit of God will tell me when the appropriate moment comes to preach the Word. But what embarrasses and irritates me is my hesitation to show that I’m possessed of the Lord and that I follow Him in my quest for eternal life. And when I see people of other faiths like the muslims and hindus declaring their faiths boldly even in the way they dress, remorse runs through me and I turn to the Lord praying I face no lack of blessing as a consequence.

This I’m sure is not only my story but yours too, because the devil makes us sometimes a little too scared to display our affections for the Lord or talk about Him. What I really cringe to hear is that many Christians out there do not even know they’ve got to talk about Jesus Christ and spread His Gospel message.

Paul in His letter to Timothy urges him and us today, to not be ashamed of testifying about Jesus. This is critical because if we believe in Him, we are honored by the fact that even knowing Him a bit is a great privilege. The world will be saved in knowing Jesus and accepting Him as Savior. If we just are aware of Him and do nothing to get to know Him or make Him known to the world, then to be called Christian is an embarrassment. Many of us take this lightly, but He says that come the time for reckoning, He’ll say to us, ‘I never knew you, depart from me you evildoers’ Mt. 7:23. Peter when reprimanded about His preaching Jesus said, ‘It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard’ Acts. 4:18-20. It is wholly imperative that we do His work and not be ashamed to speak about Jesus for in that we do His work unto eternity.