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Stand Up For Jesus
‘I will in no way be ashamed.’ Philippians 1:20 NIV
Over half of all Christians now live in the Third World, often in countries where persecution is rife. More Chinese take part in Sunday worship than all Western European people attending church services put together. Lebanon is 40 per cent Christian; Sudan, 5 per cent; Egypt, about 10 per cent.
Many worship at their own risk. Consider their situation. If you were one of them, you may be the only Christian in your Iraqi university, or a Hindu woman who offers prayers in silence because of oppression, or a member of a house church who isn’t sure if a government spy is part of the congregation.
Or perhaps you’re in a society of religious freedom, but a community of spiritual oppression. Family members mock your beliefs. University professors belittle your convictions. Classmates snigger at your choices. Bosses pressure you to compromise your integrity. Workmates make it their mission to snag you in a weak moment. If that’s where you find yourself, stand up for Jesus!
Paul wrote these words from his prison cell: ‘I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ (Philippians 1:19–21 NIV)
Today, stand up for Jesus!
SoulFood: Gen 47–49, Luke 11:1–13, Ps 36, Pro 5:21–23
word4today an adaptation of The Word For Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2019
