Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

What Are You Known For?

We're living in this hour when men are being turned from the truth unto fables. They're believing lies and soliciting lies. They're inventors of evil, the Scripture says, not only doing these things but taking pleasure in and making heroes out of the people that reject the Word of God (Rom. 1:30, 32). Are you watching? Are you even aware of the seduction that's taking place in your minds? What am I saying? What we do we do as unto the Lord. We do it differently than the world does it. Are you aware of how much you are like those of the world?

Paul makes a great distinction by saying, "But watch in all things, endure the afflictions that are going to come" (2 Tim. 4:5). Get this down: "All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). Does the Greek for "all" mean all but you? Where was it you received that special dispensation of grace? The age that we are raising our young people in is this hour that Paul is talking about. What are we doing to prepare our children to stand? How much are we contributing to their idolatry and their weakness? What are our treasures? Where's the fruit of affecting those around you for righteousness? Are you known by your fruit to affect for good? You can't get good and salt water out of the same well or good and evil fruit from the same tree. What are you known for? What's your reputation?

If your reputation is one of righteousness, let me tell you what's coming. "All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." We're not talking about a pseudo-morality or what is socially unacceptable. It's not about how you live; it's about Who you're living your life for. You do what you do for the glory of God by the power of God. For me to live is Christ. Without Him I can do nothing. All that live godly--godlike--for the glory of God in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. That becomes what will bring the persecution. It's not the "good living;" we're talking about godly living. We live in a generation where churches are full of people that want to live in Disneyland, wanting everything good and fairy tale endings. We don't want people to be mean to people. People are looking for goodness instead of godliness. To stand for godliness--to stand for the glory of God and not the glory of man, to talk about spiritual treasures, not naturally obtainable and profitable--causes us to be perceived as the aliens that we are. If you make that kind of a stand, you will be persecuted. The world will hate you. If the world is embracing you and you're embracing the world, you act and talk like them and pursue their pursuits, then to be a friend of the world is to be the enemy of God. For you to believe anything else is to believe a lie.

So many of us deceive ourselves and lie to ourselves and our children. What's wrong with being different? For example, how do Christians dress? Do they dress in the plaid skirts and uniforms of the parochial schools? No, those are some the most ornery kids you ever run into. Are you ready to be different, distinct and unique like your God? The thing you need to understand about God is that holiness means "unique." There is no other creature that's like a Christian; and there is no other being like our God. Our uniqueness frightens people. Our absolute assurance of the truth creates schism and division. The world and the professed Christian hate you when you will not bow your knee to their existential way of life and their subjective form of living. The Word is truth.

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