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Day 10 Mark 6:14 Mark 6:14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he swore unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. Have you ever done anything you regret, so much so that it colors your thoughts and actions? Herod did. He didn’t want to behead John the Baptist, but with a twist of fate, and the jealousy of Herodias, his brother’s wife, whom he married and took for himself, he did so on the request of his stepdaughter, after she danced for him on his birthday. Herod knew what kind of person John the Baptist was, and sought to protect him from Herodias. He listened to what John said, yet, in a moment of weakness, with a simple bold statement, he was forced to honor what he said, and had John beheaded. As Christians, you need to be careful what you say and do. You never know when a chance word or action will change your testimony and affect how people view you from then on. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. (KJV) Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (KJV) Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. Your life as a Christian, is seen by everyone you come in contact with, even by chance. Herod wasn’t alone when he had his stepdaughter dance for him. It was his birthday, and he had other dignitaries at his party. If he had not kept his word, it would have spread to everyone in the territory, and throughout Israel. As it was, what he did, beheading John the Baptist, achieved the same consequences. Everyone heard what he did, and John’s disciples came and took up his body and buried it. What he did bothered him so much, so that when he heard what Jesus did, he thought John had come back to life. His actions haunted him. Don’t let your actions haunt you, taking over every moment of your life. Weigh your words and actions. Think before you say or do anything. In that way you will keep your testimony pure. Let’s pray: Father, help me pay attention to everything I say and do, so that I might not change my testimony. Let my words and actions always point to you, the author and finisher of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 16 July 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay