Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: 1 Corinthians 4 and Romans 2:5-11
1 Corinthians 4:12-13 (NIV) "We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world."
A few years ago, Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, and everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard instead:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery! We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively (Forwarded E-mail).
When you stand up for what is right, people may not always be happy--because you will have disrupted their plans. Yet it is important to point people to truth even in the simplest matters. That is why Paul wrote, "For those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger" (Romans 2:8).
If you have been ridiculed, mocked, or ostracized for standing up for your faith, you can be comforted to know that in every century believers in Christ have suffered for the truth (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). And you can find joy in knowing that God uses you to present truth to a world that is headed for destruction. So today, remember that the words you say in truth may help turn someone from God's wrath to His mercy. Speak up and take courage, you are in good company. Faith Lesson: Your stand today for Jesus and His Word might be the only time someone hears about salvation and what it means to be saved
In Christ,
Darin Smith
READ: 1 Corinthians 4 and Romans 2:5-11
1 Corinthians 4:12-13 (NIV) "We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world."
A few years ago, Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, and everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard instead:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery! We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively (Forwarded E-mail).
When you stand up for what is right, people may not always be happy--because you will have disrupted their plans. Yet it is important to point people to truth even in the simplest matters. That is why Paul wrote, "For those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger" (Romans 2:8).
If you have been ridiculed, mocked, or ostracized for standing up for your faith, you can be comforted to know that in every century believers in Christ have suffered for the truth (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). And you can find joy in knowing that God uses you to present truth to a world that is headed for destruction. So today, remember that the words you say in truth may help turn someone from God's wrath to His mercy. Speak up and take courage, you are in good company. Faith Lesson: Your stand today for Jesus and His Word might be the only time someone hears about salvation and what it means to be saved
In Christ,
Darin Smith
