Monday, March 28, 2016
Have you ever been falsely accused of being a liar when you are absolutely certain of what you said, saw, or heard? I’m sure most of you can answer “yes” and you also know the anger, resentment, or frustration felt when someone falsely accuses us of being “liars” or “false witnesses.” Can you imagine what Christ’s Disciples must have endured as they kept declaring that Jesus had been raised from the dead? Regarding that subject, the Apostle Paul wrote: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:14-15) Paul simply said that if Christ was not raised from the dead, then all who said He did would automatically be false witnesses.
In our case, to continue to insist that Jesus is real and lives forever will only leave us open to the mockery, criticism, and slander of all skeptics and atheists, at least in this part of the world. In the case of Christ’s Disciples, as well as many believers in some parts of the world today, however, their open profession of faith in Christ has cost them their lives. Multitudes of people throughout the world claim they cannot believe in a God they have never seen or heard. These will never see or hear Him because they are dialed in to the wrong channel. If I keep my TV dialed in to the Cooking Channel, I will never see any football games. In the same way, people are never going to find God if they are relying on their intellect or human reasoning. If, on the other hand, they look for Him with all their heart, they will surely find Him.
How about you? How often do you get mocked or criticized for professing you believe in Christ or for taking an opposing stand on many of today’s moral and social issues? Don’t be afraid to confess Christ with your lips and with your life; others have paid a much higher price for it. If Jesus is all He says He is, you will always have all the strength, grace, courage, and protection you will ever need to confront any enemy that comes against you.
Memory verse for the week: (Jeremiah 29:13) “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
