TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2015.
BOLDNESS
Courageous; brave; fearless; undaunted; self-assured.
Great is my boldness of speech toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
II Corinthians 7:4.
“Political correctness” is a term heard frequently these days. It is becoming increasingly difficult, because of this so called political correctness concern, for Christians to speak out with boldness about their faith. Prayer is no longer allowed at many public events because it might offend someone and be “politically incorrect.”Even the display of religious symbols such as crosses, manger scenes, and the Ten Commandments are considered “politically incorrect.”
This is intimidating to believers and makes them more concerned about what the world thinks than obeying God’s command for us to be witnesses to a lost and sinful world. We feel that for some believers it is an excuse. This should be a deep concern and a wake-up call for all believers, not an excuse.
Some of the most powerful passages of scripture in the Bible are the Apostle Paul’s accounts of his journeys and imprisonments. Paul’s words are powerful because he wrote with conviction about what he personally had experienced. He never bowed to the so called “political correctness” of the day.
Paul wrote to the church at Philippi that he was not ashamed to have been serving Jesus. Paul also wrote that it was a privilege to suffer for Jesus. Paul looked for every opportunity to speak with boldness about Jesus and sharing with others God’s plan of salvation. He was not ashamed to speak boldly of his faith regardless of the consequences or the feelings of the world around him.
Paul knew the reality of persecution for the first century believers. Before his conversion he had been a persecutor of Christians. And then after he became a believer he was beaten, stoned and thrown into prison because of his faith. Paul did not let any of that persecution stop him from preaching with boldness. Even while in prison, Paul spread the good news of the gospel by writing letters to the churches he had helped establish.
As he waited in a lonely place during his last imprisonment, he wrote the church at Philippi asking them to pray for him that as he stood trial he would in no way be less bold than he always had been for Christ. Paul’s desire was to have a bold testimony whether he lived or died. In Paul’s own words (1:20) he wanted Christ always to be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death.
There are not too many Christians today that are bold in declaring their faith in Jesus. Some of the boldest that we have seen are children. Recently in Northern Iraq we received a report from one of the pastors that receives our daily devotionals of the ISIS terrorists coming into his village and taking the children from the homes and asking them to renounce their faith in Jesus. Not one child wavered and all were then killed.
How many people in your family are bold enough even to ask their friends whether they know Jesus? It is not easy to be outgoing and bold about our faith. We believe the Lord wants us to be courageous in living our faith and consistent in showing our moral standards so others will see that we are living a consistent Christ honoring life. Then when someone asks you about seeing something different in your life, you can respond with boldness about your faith. We must live boldly and we must speak boldly regardless of the consequences. Time may be running out because Jesus may be returning at any time.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Galatians 2:20.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Thank You for the examples that are in Your Word concerning my need to be bold about my relationship with You. Help me to respond to every opportunity that comes my way to be bold about my relationship with You.
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