On the Other Hand, I Don’t Want to Be Denied.

ALL – Psalm 13:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 3:16-18
OT – Genesis 31:17-32:12
NT – Matthew 10:24-11:6

Yesterday I contemplated Jesus’ warning that loyalty to Him means we should expect hatred from various people in my life. The good side was that, if we endure their hatred, we’ll gain His salvation.

Today’s more about what happens if we don’t endure the world’s hatred. What happens if we cave in to people’s pressure? How loyal does Jesus want us to be. Is Jesus ok with us loving Him, but not really letting anyone know it? Here’s what He says:

If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I will openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in heaven. But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny him before my Father in heaven. – Matthew 10:32-33

So yesterday we were struggling with whether we were ready to endure other people’s hatred. Today the question is whether we want Jesus to deny us before His Father. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, either, you know?

Those who read the Bible find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Because the Bible is honest—Jesus Christ is honest. He lets us know what to expect, no matter which way we turn (unlike advertisers, who tell us only the benefits of following their advice and never the downfalls). We have two choices: on the one hand, we can follow Jesus and be hated by at least some of the people who don’t follow Him; on the other, we can deny Jesus and find that He denies us before His Father in heaven. In other words, there’s no escaping some sort of pain. If we follow Jesus, we’ll experience the pain of people’s rejection. If we deny Jesus, we’ll experience the pain of God’s rejection.

Some people take these words as if Jesus is threatening us. I don’t. I take these words as a loving warning and as wise advice. Jesus wants our good. In yesterday’s reading, he promised salvation to those who endure people’s hatred to follow Him (Matt. 10:22). In today’s, Jesus promises to let God know that we’re His friends if we publicly acknowledge Him as our friend throughout our lives (Matt. 10:32). In terms of pain, we’re caught between a rock and a hard place, and there’s going to be some kind of pain in our lives no matter what we choose. But Jesus lets us know that life isn’t ALL pain and rejection. He has good things in store for us, things the people around us simply can’t offer.

So yesterday we struggled with whether we were ready to be hated by other people, and today we find out that the alternative is to be denied by Jesus Christ. The question isn’t really whether we’re ready for either. One of them is coming our way, whether we’re ready or not. The question is really whether we trust Jesus to give us the salvation and friendship He promises if we’re faithful to Him. If we trust Him, we can make our decision.

I pray that you join me in trusting Jesus. He’s faithful and good.

In what ways do you struggle with trusting Jesus? Have you trusted Him anyway? What have you learned?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.