Once, Paul was planning to go to Jerusalem to minister, but some people tried to stop him. They envisioned a lot of trouble for Paul, fearing he might be killed if he embarked on the trip. They reminded Paul of how so many in Jerusalem at the time hated him and wanted him dead. Read the opening verse again for his inspiring response. What a mindset!
This shows His unselfish devotion to the Gospel. His commitment was so fervent that no threat could deter him. No wonder he said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, "…I die daily." He had a sentence of death on himself; his considerations weren’t about his personal safety, but the task at hand: the propagation of the Gospel. Then in 2 Corinthians 12:10, he made another profound statement; he said, "…I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake…."
Is your commitment to the Gospel such that can be quickly diminished by adversities, tests, trials, and persecutions? Can you affirm that you love Jesus more than life? Are you willing to die for what you believe about Jesus Christ? Revelation 2:10 says, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Notice the underlined portion doesn’t say, "For I will deliver you from death," no! Rather, it says, "be thou faithful unto death."
That’s the kind of mindset He wants us to have. He doesn’t want us to be afraid or timid. Romans 8:35-37 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Therefore, like Paul, let your commitment to the Gospel be unalloyed and selfless.
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for spurring in me an intense passion, an unreserved commitment, and an unparalleled devotion to the Gospel. I’m determined, more than ever, to reach the unreached with the Gospel! Thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to proclaim your wisdom, and impact many with your righteousness and blessings of the Gospel, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
further study: 1 Corinthians 9:16; 1 Timothy 1:11-12
: Mark 9:33-50 Numbers 9-10
: Acts 23:11-21 Psalm 52-54
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