August 8
Ezra 7:1:-8:20 | PS 30:1-12 | Prov 20:28-30 | 1 Cor 4:1-21
I realize that over time my standing among my peers and those around me in the professional setting has diminished. For many years it was important for me to be respected. So I played the game. I would quote my articles, focus on safe topics, etc. But that is no longer the case. I openly discuss my views on a whole host of unpopular topics, especially as they relate to how God views them, and with each stance I become more and more marginalized. Just the other day I had a long discussion with a patient of mine about abortion, and she disagreed, which is certainly her right. But I remained steadfast in how God sees each life from creation to death. Pastor Chuck Smith said, "Why is it that if you give your life for the service of your country you are called a hero, but if you give your life for the service of Christ, you are called a fool?" He goes on to describe his thoughts further, "As a teenager, I was greatly inspired by a man who used to say, "Everybody is somebody's fool. You might as well be a fool for Christ." If loving Jesus with all my heart makes me a fool, then I am a fool. If desiring to serve Jesus with all my heart makes me a fool, then I am a fool. If desiring to serve Jesus with everything I have makes me a fool, then I am a fool. If trusting Jesus for everything makes me a fool, then I am a fool. But I am not ashamed of being a fool for Christ's sake."
We read in 1 Corinthians 4:10-13, "Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment." Paul was respected in the eyes of the world. He was a leader of the Jewish faith. He was in the elite class of being one of the 71 members of the Sanhedrin. Everyone knew him, But then came that moment on the road to Damascus when everything changed. He went from champion to chump in the eyes of those he sought respect from. He left everything to become a servant for Jesus Christ. With that came scorn and shame from his countrymen. He goes on in 4:20, "For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power."
How about you? What is it that you hold most dear? Do you seek respect from your contemporaries? Do you want to be noticed by your peers as a member of good standing? We read in James 4:4, "...Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God." There are two clear paths and you can't choose both. One will seek self-glory and might make you popular with the world. The other seeks to glorify Jesus, and in the process your own standing will most likely diminish. The choice is yours. Remember Jesus' words in Luke 9:26, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels." Who is it that you care about standing in front of, your peers or Jesus? You decide!
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: