22/9/12
S: Philippians 1:20-24 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honour to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
O: If you have put your trust in Jesus for your salvation, you no longer need to fear death. Of course, your faith in Christ should be evidenced by your life, for, as Jesus' brother James tells us, "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”" (James 2:17-18)
But generally speaking, if you are walking with Jesus, you should not have any reason to fear physical death, for physical death is only the door to eternal life with God.
This is the reason that believers through the centuries have stood up to persecutors and tyrants who demand that they recant their faith on pain of death, and even today, our brothers and sisters in Christ who live under anti-Christian conditions in many countries face the same thing. People are still being martyred today -- just look at the frequent reports from sources like Mission Network News, International Christian Concern, Voice of the Martyrs, Persecution Times, Christian Persecution Info, and Compass Direct. In fact, many sources report that more Christians have been martyred in the last century than in all previous centuries. This is partly due to the fact that there are more Christians today than ever before.
A: When I see what our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world have stood up to and continue to stand up to for their faith, and coupled with the assurance that if we die in Christ, we would live forever with Him, I am dismayed at how timid I am to stand up for Jesus.
I know, I've seed Christians who have been obnoxious in the way they try to share the Gospel, and we must bear in mind that we must be winsome in the way we share Christ's love. But how much of my timidity is because of fear of people instead of fear of God rather than tactfulness and sensitivity?
P: Father, let me see the world through Your eyes. Help me to recognise the opportunities to share the love of Christ and to take those opportunities and not let them slip away.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
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