“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.” – Mark 13:9

Does this describe your life? Probably not if you live in the Western world. If it doesn’t describe you, give thanks for the relative peace, comfort, and freedom you enjoy to worship God. It’s very appropriate to be thankful for that because it isn’t the norm throughout the history of the world. After giving thanks, take time to reflect. What if these words of Jesus did suddenly describe your life? Are you prepared to endure it? Are you prepared to bear witness to Jesus when doing so is costly?

Jesus spoke these words to His immediate disciples and they certainly experienced all these things. However, Scripture is clear that these things may come to describe the life of any Christian at any time. We celebrate the eventual, ultimate triumph of King Jesus over every enemy but must recognize the repeated biblical warnings about persecution that will occur before that triumph happens. Are you ready for it? Really?

Across 20 centuries, many Christians have had this opportunity to bear witness to Jesus through persecution. Sadly, many who failed the test when it came, preferring comfort, safety, and peace over faithfully bearing witness to their Savior Who died for them. In general, those who use their persecution to God’s glory are those who were already walking closely with Jesus. They are also those spiritually prepared to pay a cost for their faith, who are unsurprised when persecution comes to them. Are you prepared to pay the price if necessary? Do you believe it’s possible? Do you have enough gratitude for your salvation? Are you walking closely enough with Jesus to withstand fear, temptation, and hardship? What should you be doing to walk more closely?

Are you ready to #FollowJesus even in hard times?

“‘David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?’ And the great throng heard him gladly.” – Mark 12:37

Jesus presents the crowd with what sounded like a riddle. What does it mean that the great King David, writing a thousand years earlier, described Messiah, the Christ Who was to come, as his Lord? If the Messiah was merely a descendant of David in the usual earthly sense, how or why could David speak of Messiah as already ruling over him? As already existing and in communication with God?

What Jesus was trying to help the crowd understand is that He, Jesus, has existed eternally. To a crowd looking for the Messiah to be born from the bloodline of David, Jesus emphasizes that the Messiah was vastly greater than they could possibly imagine. Yes, Messiah would be born from the line of David, but Messiah has also existed eternally.

No earthly king was ever like that. But Jesus was. As He began to carefully reveal to the crowds, He existed before time began. He knew their ancient ancestors – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was present at Creation and it all happened through Him. He sustained (and sustains) creation. He is the Lord to whom King David bowed. Now, He was the eternal Son of God come to earth in the flesh.

The crowd wasn’t ready to hear or understand this. But we must! Never make the mistake of merely thinking of Jesus as a great man, mighty king, wise prophet, or extraordinary leader. Jesus is eternal, one with the Great I Am. He is holy, righteous, and God Almighty. #FollowJesus

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.”
– Psalm 28:7

When David began this psalm, he expressed concern that his prayers weren’t being heard. He was concerned God had nothing further to say to him. He feared that God’s justice wouldn’t be done and His mercy would be withheld. These are concerns that many believers can identify with. We can go through dry seasons in which God feels distant, silent, and uncaring. We can look around the world and be concerned that God’s justice isn’t coming and His mercy toward His people has gone missing.

Fortunately, David knew his Lord! He knew these doubts and questions in his heart didn’t reflect the unchanging nature of His Creator. David’s words should be the confident words of everyone who is in Christ. If Jesus is your Savior, then you have been adopted by God, you’re loved by God, and He has promised to never leave or forsake you. Even when His work is hard to see in your life, you can trust God the way David trusted God. The simple act of trusting God when you have doubts and concerns is a genuine spiritual help as David says here.

Trust that God IS your strength and shield. Trust in His strength rather than your own, His protection rather than protecting yourself. Rather than complain about what you believe is missing in your life, give thanks for what you have in Christ. Union with Him. Forgiveness of sins. Everlasting life. Fellowship with the saints. Salvation. Sanctification. The promise of glorification. Love. Presence. Holiness. Exult in God! Worship Him, praise Him, trust Him. Even, or especially, when you might be questioning Him. #FollowJesus

“There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
…a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.”
– Proverbs 6:16,19

Though a list of seven things is long, the emphasis is on that final line – it’s an abomination to God to sow discord among brothers. An abomination! Whether in an earthly family or God’s family (which is the church), He despises people who stir up trouble and divides people. Whether it’s by gossip, petty insults, or playing one side against another, God hates it all! There’s a reason Jesus declared God’s favor and blessing upon peacemakers.

Harmony within families and within the church is prized by God. Jesus prayed for unity. The good news is that that doesn’t require uniformity. That doesn’t mean people can’t disagree over things, even important things. But Christians must disagree in a manner pleasing to God. We must discipline ourselves to disagree in a way that still affirms our love and relationship with one another. More spiritually mature Christians must not only practice this but teach others to do the same.

Jesus said that the peacemakers will inherit the earth. Guess what… Christians are going to inherit the earth. That means we’re all supposed to be peacemakers! Are you a peacemaker? Not just getting along with others but bringing people together when they’re in conflict? Do you value unity, harmony, and love above being seen by others as right and getting your way? Understand the proverbs and their emphasis on not saying or doing things that divide people or make fractured relationships worse. Then love your brothers and sisters – in life and in church. Hold tight to them and #FollowJesus

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” – Mark 10:15

This certainly sounds important! Who doesn’t want to enter God’s Kingdom? Assuming you do, be sure to receive it like a child. But what does that mean??? Let’s first understand what it doesn’t mean. When they hear these words of Jesus, many people immediately think about the so-called innocence of children, believing they must be innocent like that to enter God’s Kingdom. No way! Children are many wonderful things but they certainly aren’t innocent. They may be sweet, spunky, honest, and naive about the evils of the world but they still sin. Jesus knew that. Anyone who spends much time around kids knows that. We are truly sinners by nature! So, good news, you don’t need to be perfectly innocent to get into God’s Kingdom!

However, there are two actual attributes of little children that seem very relevant to entering God’s Kingdom. The first is that little kids are utterly dependent on the adults in their lives for everything. They receive all their food, shelter, clothing, comfort, and education from their parents, grandparents, teachers and others. Little children bring nothing to the table and shamelessly receive everything from adults. Though they may try to help, that help only slows things down.

The Kingdom of God is EXACTLY like that! We can do nothing to help save ourselves or get into God’s Kingdom. We can do nothing to earn or deserve admission into God’s perfect, holy Kingdom. We’re trapped in our sin and utterly dependent on Christ’s work on the cross to save us. He suffered and died so that our sins could be forgiven. There’s nothing we can add to that! If we wish to enter God’s Kingdom it’s only through utter dependence on God’s grace given through faith in Jesus Christ.

That’s the second child-like quality we must embrace to enter God’s Kingdom—faith. Little children implicitly believe anything and everything their parents tell them. They have absolute faith and trust in their parents (at least until a certain stage of development). We must likewise have simple faith and trust in Jesus if we’re going to enter God’s Kingdom. We must believe to receive. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of grace given through faith alone. There’s nothing we must do other than trust in the Lord. There’s nothing we can do other than trust in the Lord. In this, we’re truly like little children. #FollowJesus