“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
In spite of the last few verses…things aren’t as dire as they appeared yesterday…
Jesus suggests we put things into perspective…which is a way of saying we should take the long view. Whatever befalls us in service to our Lord is nothing to fear. After all…nothing of our flesh lasts for long anyway.
The only way to serve Christ with true boldness is to discard the notion that our earthly lives are worth protecting or preserving. As long as we think there is some value in living a day longer…we will fear the possibility that it will end today.
So, I need to ask this: What will one more day on earth benefit? Unless it is more time to serve Christ? As the Apostle Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain”.
I accrue nothing of value if my life is extended for one moment. Conversely, I lose nothing if it is cut short a moment. I can put it into perspective. If any of the fallen martyrs from the 2nd century had avoided martyrdom…would they be with us today? Of course not. So we are dealing only with time…not substance. And more…Peter tells us “with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day”.
When we go “all in” to serve Christ we shouldn’t hold back hope it won’t cost much. Cost is only in the vocabulary of those who believe they have something to lose.
Live boldly out there today…
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