Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy. (1 Peter 1:8-16 NIV) Serving ourselves...Is that what we are all about? Is that our plan? Do we strive for prosperity? Do we aim for worldly success? Do we yearn for greater wealth? Are our lives so full of a search for things to fill them up that we forget that we are not to see this earth as our permanent home, but to live our lives as strangers on earth longing for a heavenly dwelling place? Or do we follow the example of the prophets of old. Mocked, ridiculed, and taunted, these men delivered the words of God to a lost nation of people. They faced insult and injury in order to tell the very ones who persecuted them that their Creator loved them and had called them according to His purposes. They willingly chose to strive toward another goal indifferent to their own prosperity, safety and security. They chose a road less travelled, full of bumps and bruises along the way. They did it because they were not serving themselves, but others in a future generation...a people not yet born and a people they didnt even know. Still, they served others by denying their own earthly pleasures and desires. They were not serving themselves...they served others! Even more recent are the accounts of Christian martyrs across the world who have faced persecutions and death simply because they have called upon Christ as their Lord and Savior. All of the original twelve disciples faced these circumstances. Countless others under Nero and other Roman emperors faced the same. Even more countless thousands of our brothers and sisters in the faith in the last two millennia have walked through the hazards of persecutions and death as a result of their faith in Jesus. Had they been serving themselves, we would not even know of this Jesus who was God in the form of a man. They were not serving themselves…they, like the Old Testament prophets, served us so that we might find faith in Christ! Would we be so bold? Would we dare to give up our most prized earthly ventures in order that a people we dont yet know find eternal life in Christ? Would we give up a portion of our time, talents and planning for our earthly future to help someone else toward a brighter eternal future of their own? If not, then Id have to think that the prophets labored virtually in vain. If not, the apostles were martyred for no great cause. If not, the later martyrs of the faith, such as Tyndale, Wycliffe, and countless others, were drawn, quartered, beheaded, hung, and burned for little lasting reason. No, Im not saying that all of us have to die to testify to our faith in Christ like these brothers and sisters did. I am not implying that any of us will or should seek to die in order to make our faith known. I simply am posing the question, would we dare to live our lives so that a people we do not know...either now or in the future...might come to know Christ? Really, I guess the true question is...Would I? Have a wonderful day in His grace! Ron
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:22:53 +0000