You Gotta Give Some Things Up!

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

Part of my daily devotional routine is to journal and most of my material for this blog comes from thoughts recorded in my journal. It is my practice to review my journal for the past month at the beginning of each month and highlight those things that strike a chord with me.

 

One of the things placed on my heart this past month was the matter of suffering for Christ’s sake. Our sufferings in this world are proof positive that we are “children of God.” Ro 8:16,17 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

 

“If indeed we suffer….” This is kind of difficult for us “cushy” American Christians to identify with. Most of us will never experience the kind of suffering that Paul and the other Apostles experienced because of their faith in Jesus!

 

Nonetheless, we all have the opportunity to “suffer,” with Christ as we seek to do His will! To believe God at His Word and obey His commands will cost you by the world’s standards. It involves giving up many things that the world and our flesh treasure.

 

For example, the single person must hold off on sexual activity until married, and the married person must work through the difficulties that come in marriage. You can expect rebuke from the world whenever you take a stand for righteousness, and even your financial giving is at first glance a type of suffering.

 

Suffer anyway!

 

David said this about sacrifice: “I will not sacrifice anything that costs me nothing.” And PS 118:27 reminds us to “Bind the sacrifice,” in other words don’t let go of your commitment to follow Jesus, even as you suffer the perceived loss of the ways of the world, ultimately, they are for your gain!

 

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.