How Should We Live?
"Be on your guard;
stand firm in the faith;
be men of courage;
be strong." I Corinthians 16:13
How might we live differently if we KNEW Jesus would return today? Would we share our faith more boldly? Would we live without worry and fear?
If our sons and daughters are believers in Jesus, they are members of the Body of Christ, the Church, the Bride of Christ. We need to pray they will actively pursue their relationship with Jesus and live it out so others can see the fruit.
Today, let’s pray the Church lives purposefully (confident in our 'why') and intentionally (making it happen), ready to meet our Savior and actively sharing the hope that we have with those who don't know Him.
Pray that believers around the world are watchful and vigilant, that they will stand fast and persevere in their faith in Christ, pray they would be brave and be ever-strengthened in their faith and commitment to Jesus.
Contend for the Faith
Jude 1:3 “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
Contend for the faith. What does that statement bring to mind? Fighting? Arguing? A conflict that gets heated? Dictionary.com (1) says that the word ‘contend’ means to struggle in opposition or to assert and maintain earnestly. However you look at it, if we are called to contend for the faith, it means we will face opposition and challenges that will try and persuade us otherwise. (Remember, the word ‘faith’ means persuaded). Jude is telling us to contend for the faith because he knows, he KNOWS, that there is an ongoing spiritual battle between believers and the powers of darkness that is going to continue to get worse. Let’s not kid ourselves, friends, our greatest enemies are unseen. Our faith is always being attacked...and even when we don’t sense it, the battle is likely raging around us. Our sons and daughters MUST be ready to contend for the faith, because if it’s not already here, oppression and persecution are coming.. If we identify with Christ, we will partake of His suffering. 1 Peter 2:20 “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”
So many believers around the world know very personally what this means. They suffer persecution and loss, they are beaten, imprisoned, ridiculed and mistreated for the name of Christ. Yet they stand. Why? Because the name of Jesus means more to them than life itself. They are not so comfortable here that they hesitate to give up what they have for what Jesus promises them in glory. They have extraordinary courage in Christ. Are we ready? Could we withstand the pressure?
How much does Jesus mean to us? Enough to say we’re willing to give up everything for His name?
Contend for the faith. Today, and every day, we need to pray that our sons’ and daughters’ spiritual strength and faithfulness is strong and unwavering. Pray that when they are confronted with pressure, or worse, with persecution, that they rise up and contend for the faith, confident that He who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6) Today is a day to be honest with ourselves… the last days are near, we can’t deny it. The powers of darkness are becoming more visible and more active. Believers are getting powerfully distracted by things that do not matter, arguments that only serve to divide and selfish demands that dishonor the gospel. We need to pray that we all contend for the faith with a passion and commitment that will carry us through until we stand before the Lord. Let us stand, unwaveringly.
Pray without ceasing.
Dictionary.com. Contend definition & meaning. Dictionary.com. Retrieved October 8, 2021, from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/contend.
Courage to Live…or Die
Philippians 1:20 “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
A classic question that is often asked of children is, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. The answers vary from ‘ballerina’ and ‘princess’ to ‘doctor’ or ‘army guy’. Sometimes you get funny, unexpected responses, like the student who wanted to ‘be’ the dump truck…(not just drive the truck, but BE the truck).
But few, if any, would have said ‘I want to die for my faith’. That’s sobering and probably not the sort of conversation that we would think to have with our children. (Yet, there are belief systems out there that train their children from a young age that giving their life for their god is honorable and rewarding.)
But at some point, we as parents, need to have those serious conversations. We need our sons and daughters to understand that following Christ requires them to be ‘all-in’. They will spend their life on something, will it have eternal value? Have we trained our sons and daughters to understand and fully believe that a life surrendered to God is a life well-lived? Have we communicated the seriousness of the choice set before them: life with Christ or eternity without Him? Here is the real question, would our sons and daughters be willing to give their life for Jesus?
Oh we have so many hopes and dreams for our sons and daughters, don’t we? But we need to look beyond this temporal life and consider our hopes and dreams for their eternity. Our sons and daughters may be called to hard places where life is fragile or where followers of Christ are viewed as enemies worthy of death. It seems foreign to us, yet God calls people to these hard places to be salt and light. And for some of us, that may become a life that is lived by our son or daughter. Are they willing? Are we willing?
Today, let’s pray Philippians 1:20 for our sons and daughters and ask the Lord to give them courage to live for Him, whether in life or in death, and to live with eternity in mind. And lets pray that the Lord gives us courage, as parents, to support them wherever God calls them.
“Father, I pray for (name) today that they would eagerly live for you in an expectation of pleasing You in all they say and do. I pray that their sincere hope today, and every day, would be that they would honor You. Give (name) an eternal perspective that sees beyond this day, week or year, that pushes past the five-year plan and the retirement goals to the value of eternity at Your right hand. Lord, help them to truly understand how fleeting this life is and make them willing to lay down their life for You. Wherever You lead, I pray that (name) would following, willingly and with full trust in You. Lord, help my desires for them to align with Yours. I pray that I would not get distracted by accomplishments and successes but would pray daily for their spiritual maturity and willingness to serve You with their life. In Jesus’ name, amen.”