Fear Not!
Opening Prayer
You have paid the highest price to save me. Help me not shrink back, but to willingly obey though it costs me.
Read Matthew 10:17-31
[17] Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. [18] On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. [19] But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, [20] for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. [21] “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. [22] You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. [23] When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. [24] “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. [25] It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! [26] “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. [27] What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. [28] Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. [30] And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What did Jesus tell us to expect?Mission is not going to be one glorious triumph after another. We can expect rejection and even downright hostility. The level of persecution described here (17-23) was the experience for Jewish Christians in the years after Jesus’ resurrection, and still is today for Christians in some parts of the world. We also can expect to experience hostility–daily jibes, friends or family members keeping their distance–and though different, it can be enough to discourage or dissuade us from sharing the Good News about Jesus. Jesus knew what lay ahead, so he gave three instructions: Be on your guard (17). If you expect opposition you will be emotionally and spiritually prepared for it (see Eph. 6:10-18). Do not worry (19). You are not alone. Even if a situation looks dire, we must remember that God is with us by his Holy Spirit, and his Spirit will direct our thoughts and our words whenever we are put on the spot. Do not be afraid (26,28,31). We need to keep a heavenly perspective–life is more than the time we spend in our present earthly bodies (28). In God’s hands we are eternally safe.
Apply
Journal a response to these questions: What am I willing to give up for Jesus? Is there anything I am holding back?
Closing prayer
Lord, You have called us to count the cost. Help me to soberly consider and give You all.
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