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For your sake we are in danger of
death at all times; we are treated like sheep that are going to be
slaughtered . . . For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I
face death daily . . . As a result, we have stopped relying on
ourselves and have learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.
He rescued us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again.
Romans 8:23 TEV |
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Any one of the repeated beatings or
prolonged confinements that Paul experienced in oppressive Roman
prisons might have deterred a lesser man from pursuing his God-given
assignment. It would certainly have been easy for him to hunker down
into “survival mode,” but Paul had learned not to be at the mercy of
circumstances, but to press on into the heart of God.
In this he seems to me to be in the direct spiritual lineage of
Jacob, who wrestled with the angel and refused to let him go until
he blessed him.30 With supreme courage, we like Paul must resist
“the thief, the murderer and the destroyer” and pursue our mission,
refusing to bow the knee to the subliminal invitations the powers of
darkness send our way: “I'll stop bothering you, if only you'll stop
being such a thorn in my side!”
How infinitely poorer the Church would be without the letters Paul
took the trouble to pen from prison! May the Lord likewise
strengthen our resolve to be active in sharing our faith, in
season and out of season, so that we will have a full understanding
of every good thing we have in Christ (Philemon 6, 2 Timothy
4:2).31
In Life in the Overlap Jean Darnell describes how she once
sat down by mistake in a first-class railway carriage. Another woman
entered her compartment, clearly depressed and in no mood to talk.
This suited Jean fine. She was exhausted from her speaking schedule
and had no desire whatsoever to indulge in small talk. The Lord had
other ideas, however, and insisted that she reach out to the woman.
It turned out that she was on her way to a solicitor’s office to
finalise a divorce.
By God’s grace, Jean was able to lead this woman to the Lord. When
they reached the terminus, she rang her husband to tell him what she
had done. He was a long time answering. “I’m sitting on the edge of
my bed with a gun in my hand,” he replied. “I just can’t go on
living without you.”
The amazing outcome to this story is that this family is now serving
the Lord – and all because Jean stepped out of her comfort zone to
share the gospel. |
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Reflect and Pray |
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Holy God,
steep my soul in the truths of Your Word
until they fill my mind.
Shine the clarity of Your light
into all that is out of focus,
and breathe faith where unbelief reigns.
Where powers of darkness are scheming
and resisting,
I take my stand in Jesus’ name against them,
and declare myself willing
to step outside my comfort zone
whenever You call. |
morguefile.com |
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Cultivating an Eternal
Perspective
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the
same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The
voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen
after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne
in heaven and someone sitting on it. Revelation 4:1-2
We have come a long way on our journey, from the first waves of
shock and trauma until we can now speak freely of moving on beyond
our grief. Towards the end of his life, the Lord reminded the
evangelist David Watson of His priorities and perspective.
Read More . . . |
References
30 See Genesis 32:24-30
31 See
Witnessing for Jesus |
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