Daily Bible Study

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Day 14 Promise 459 Matthew 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. How do you look at people? Do you consider yourself better than them? Do you think of yourself as below them? Or do you think of yourself as equal to them? The Pharisees and Sadducees often tested Jesus to try to trip Him up in what He taught the people. Jesus turned the tables on them, and showed them their words and actions were for show and nothing more. He told them they would condemn those who put their faith and trust in Him. As Christians, you know everything Jesus told them has and is taking place today. Soon after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the Pharisees began hunting down everyone who followed Jesus and put them to death. Paul was one of those who worked for the Sanhedrin to round up everyone who believed Jesus was the Son of God. Today, they persecute Christians in many countries, torture them, and put them to death for their faith. Do you count yourself fortunate not to live in a country that condemns Christians to death? Paul said, Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (KJV) What do you gain when you live in your comfortable homes, pray when you remember, open your Bible only when you’re with other people, and when you’re away from people forget about those on the front lines of Christianity, fighting for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Being a Christian isn’t a sometime thing. It’s full time. It isn’t going around thinking you’re better than others, it’s putting others first. When you put on Jesus Christ, you put on His servanthood. You do the work of the kingdom of God. Will people condemn you? Yes, they will. However, God won’t. He will lift you up. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (KJV) Jesus said, “This generation would not pass away until all was fulfilled.” The generation Jesus spoke about wasn’t the span of a person’s lifetime, but the time which began at His birth and end at his return. You are part of the generation Jesus spoke about. Live your life in such a way that men will not doubt you are a Christian. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Put others before yourself, and show everyone the love of Jesus by your words and actions. John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (KJV) Let’s pray: Father, help me live my life in such a way that everyone will know I belong to You and You live in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 21 August 2020 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay