Daily Verse: Luke 12:8-9

“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.”
 

Today, a baseball legend departed this world…the great Tony Gwynn Sr., an All-Star right fielder with 20 years of MLB performance under his belt. As a kid of the 80s, I recall celebrating when his familiar batting stance appeared in a pack of cards I had just purchased. And I recall pretending to be him at bat countless times in the front yard of our home. Anytime someone passes from this world, whether notable like Gwynn or just an everyday guy, we are reminded of how brief our lives will be. We are reminded that at some point down the road, our number is going to be called and our time on this earth is going to come to a close. We can’t avoid it, we can’t hide from it…it’s going to happen. But it’s not a call for sadness and fear but rather a reason for hope and rejoicing. Yep, there is actually a reason to be joyous about potentially dying! As followers of Christ, the closing of this life starts the opening of our new life with the Lord. In Christ, we have the promise of eternal life with him. A perfect life without sin, illness, struggle, hardship, or pain. A life in peace, rest, and contentment, spent worshiping the one true King. That is why it is so incredibly important to know Christ TODAY…it is crucial to really know the Savior right here and NOW…it is absolutely necessary that we have poured our whole heart into calling him our ONE true Savior! What is stated above in the book of Luke is no laughing matter and should not be taken lightly. For if we don’t acknowledge Christ as Savior in this life, he will not acknowledge us as his own before God. Let that soak in for a minute…pause and let that reality rest on our hearts and minds. It’s chilling. That is why we should be motivated to share the Gospel with others. Not because we are trying to somehow earn our way into salvation (that’s impossible anyway), but rather so that no one may find themselves a stranger to Christ when their life comes to a close. Now this doesn’t mean we should be running the streets beating people on the head with the Gospel, threatening them with the fires of hell that potentially await them. Rather we should let the Gospel shine through our lives…how we act towards others and how we speak towards others…how we use our time, our talents, and our abilities…how we spend our money and how we share our worldly gifts. Everything we say and do should reflect the Gospel message on those around us. And then when someone comes scratching their head, wondering why we are acting with such peculiar love, kindness, and compassion, we can share that lifesaving Gospel. We can tell them about Jesus, planting the seed for the Holy Spirit to water and grow into true faith. I pray that we may NEVER be ashamed to proclaim our faith in Christ…and when prompted, we may share the lifesaving message of the Gospel in gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). To God be the glory!