TAKING A PUNCH!
A short devotion
By Jesse Morrell
The world needs to be changed for God. This always comes about by challenging and convicting the world. Doing this however has always come with consequences that few are willing to bear. That consequence is rejection. Even the strongest have a hard agonizing time handling rejection. No man has changed the world more then Jesus Christ, and yet he was rejected. If we are ever to change this doomed and d**ned world, we must be strong enough to follow Christ.
You will never be able to change the way of the world or the current way of modern Christendom without causing uproar. The life of the man who attempts to change the minds, hearts, and lives of people will be marked by controversy and rejection. Did Jesus cleanse the temple without causing a ruckus? Did Paul not see uproar as a result of his preaching in Ephesus? People practice those things which they love. If you seek to change lives, you are seeking to get people to forsake that which their hearts love. Many are willing to fight and even kill in order to hold on to their sins. Therefore, don’t expect to change this world without severe opposition coming against you by the ungodly world. And many of those ungodly worldly oppressors will come from within the four walls of the church! We seem to be so quick to apologize if we cause an uproar or a stir when we go out and preach the gospel but I say that it is time that we start apologizing to God when our preaching fails to cause an uproar!
It is time that we learn how to rock the boat and make people feel uncomfortable in their compromise and sin. It’s time that we stop trying as best we can to fit into the world so that we won’t be rejected. We need to get to the point when we say "It doesn’t matter if the world rejects me because I didn’t want to be apart of the world to begin with!" To be accepted by the world means to be rejected by God. You will not fit in with the Saints of God if you fit in with the sinners of the world. Often people attempt to walk, talk, and look like the world in order to "be a better witness" or "to be more relatable" however that is truly not what the world needs. The world needs to see the drastic differences between their lives and our lives if we ever hope for them to be converted and changed.
If all you wanted was a happy little life you joined the wrong army! If you wanted to live at peace with the world you’re reading the wrong book! Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword. It is time that we, The Church of Jesus Christ, stop seeking after being at peace with the world because Jesus certainly didn’t. To truly follow Christ here in this fallen world you have to kiss acceptance good bye. The closer that you get to Christ, the farther you will get from the world.
God needs men who are fighters. The Christian life is a war and if you’re not willing to fight then you can not follow Christ. You may die in this battle. But my prayer for us all is not that God keeps us alive. Rather my prayer is that we learn how to take a punch and if we go down that we may go down swinging!
A short devotion
By Jesse Morrell
The world needs to be changed for God. This always comes about by challenging and convicting the world. Doing this however has always come with consequences that few are willing to bear. That consequence is rejection. Even the strongest have a hard agonizing time handling rejection. No man has changed the world more then Jesus Christ, and yet he was rejected. If we are ever to change this doomed and d**ned world, we must be strong enough to follow Christ.
You will never be able to change the way of the world or the current way of modern Christendom without causing uproar. The life of the man who attempts to change the minds, hearts, and lives of people will be marked by controversy and rejection. Did Jesus cleanse the temple without causing a ruckus? Did Paul not see uproar as a result of his preaching in Ephesus? People practice those things which they love. If you seek to change lives, you are seeking to get people to forsake that which their hearts love. Many are willing to fight and even kill in order to hold on to their sins. Therefore, don’t expect to change this world without severe opposition coming against you by the ungodly world. And many of those ungodly worldly oppressors will come from within the four walls of the church! We seem to be so quick to apologize if we cause an uproar or a stir when we go out and preach the gospel but I say that it is time that we start apologizing to God when our preaching fails to cause an uproar!
It is time that we learn how to rock the boat and make people feel uncomfortable in their compromise and sin. It’s time that we stop trying as best we can to fit into the world so that we won’t be rejected. We need to get to the point when we say "It doesn’t matter if the world rejects me because I didn’t want to be apart of the world to begin with!" To be accepted by the world means to be rejected by God. You will not fit in with the Saints of God if you fit in with the sinners of the world. Often people attempt to walk, talk, and look like the world in order to "be a better witness" or "to be more relatable" however that is truly not what the world needs. The world needs to see the drastic differences between their lives and our lives if we ever hope for them to be converted and changed.
If all you wanted was a happy little life you joined the wrong army! If you wanted to live at peace with the world you’re reading the wrong book! Jesus came not to bring peace but a sword. It is time that we, The Church of Jesus Christ, stop seeking after being at peace with the world because Jesus certainly didn’t. To truly follow Christ here in this fallen world you have to kiss acceptance good bye. The closer that you get to Christ, the farther you will get from the world.
God needs men who are fighters. The Christian life is a war and if you’re not willing to fight then you can not follow Christ. You may die in this battle. But my prayer for us all is not that God keeps us alive. Rather my prayer is that we learn how to take a punch and if we go down that we may go down swinging!
