Following the Last Supper and before heading into the Garden to await His arrest, Jesus offered his final words of guidance and comfort to His Disciples. He knew that after He departed they would need all the strength in their souls to carry on with their mission. They would be persecuted, ridiculed and rejected by many and ultimately all but John would be crucified.
Jesus offered what is referred to as the Priestly Prayer during this time, a prayer where He asked God to be with Him through His ordeal and see Him successfully through. In addition to praying for Himself, they prayer was for His Disciples and for all of His followers to come in later generations. He wanted them all to be strong and secure knowing that by living for Him, as opposed to their own needs and desires, they would be afforded a place at the table in the Kingdom after their days on earth were done.
Yesterday I wrote about Kim Davis, the Rowan County (Kentucky) Court Clerk who was carried off in handcuffs when she said that she could not personally in good conscience approve issuance of marriage licenses for those who defiled her belief in marriage as a bond between one man and one woman. She wished them no harm and would gladly perform any other court service for them, but she could not violate her sacred faith.
There were many other ways that the county or the state could have handled the problem. They could have designated another signatory or change the paperwork which would have afforded Ms. Davis the dignity of honoring her beliefs, but no , the court wouldn't do that. They wanted to punish her for sticking to her principles and physically force her to change her actions. In the country that was founded on freedom of religion and where today so many foreign religions are given acceptance and special consideration, the majority religion of the land could not be honored.
And this is exactly why Jesus prayed that night before going to the Garden. He knew that His followers throughout future time would face persecution and suffering for following His guidance. And while a woman like Ms. Davis is certainly no threat to the might of the state and would have been no threat to anyone if released on her own recognizance, the district court judge had to apply tyranny to a simple Christian woman sticking to her convictions bravely and firmly.
So the question for each of us is this: What will we do to support our Savior if we are threatened by an out of control state? Will we stand by Him or wilt under the threat of suffering? It is something to think about and it is the topic of this week's Sunday Morning Coming Down. The decision that each of us make and the answers we give to the questions will determine our own individual fate and our eternity. Here's the link to the show:
tobtr.com/s/7904995
God bless you all and have a wonderful Sunday.
Jesus offered what is referred to as the Priestly Prayer during this time, a prayer where He asked God to be with Him through His ordeal and see Him successfully through. In addition to praying for Himself, they prayer was for His Disciples and for all of His followers to come in later generations. He wanted them all to be strong and secure knowing that by living for Him, as opposed to their own needs and desires, they would be afforded a place at the table in the Kingdom after their days on earth were done.
Yesterday I wrote about Kim Davis, the Rowan County (Kentucky) Court Clerk who was carried off in handcuffs when she said that she could not personally in good conscience approve issuance of marriage licenses for those who defiled her belief in marriage as a bond between one man and one woman. She wished them no harm and would gladly perform any other court service for them, but she could not violate her sacred faith.
There were many other ways that the county or the state could have handled the problem. They could have designated another signatory or change the paperwork which would have afforded Ms. Davis the dignity of honoring her beliefs, but no , the court wouldn't do that. They wanted to punish her for sticking to her principles and physically force her to change her actions. In the country that was founded on freedom of religion and where today so many foreign religions are given acceptance and special consideration, the majority religion of the land could not be honored.
And this is exactly why Jesus prayed that night before going to the Garden. He knew that His followers throughout future time would face persecution and suffering for following His guidance. And while a woman like Ms. Davis is certainly no threat to the might of the state and would have been no threat to anyone if released on her own recognizance, the district court judge had to apply tyranny to a simple Christian woman sticking to her convictions bravely and firmly.
So the question for each of us is this: What will we do to support our Savior if we are threatened by an out of control state? Will we stand by Him or wilt under the threat of suffering? It is something to think about and it is the topic of this week's Sunday Morning Coming Down. The decision that each of us make and the answers we give to the questions will determine our own individual fate and our eternity. Here's the link to the show:
tobtr.com/s/7904995
God bless you all and have a wonderful Sunday.
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