Thursday, 15 August 2019

Keep the faith

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The question of the day: Let's unpack these two verses. Mark 10:29-30 "'Amen, I tell you,' Yeshua replied, 'there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and property, along with persecutions; and in the olam ha-ba, eternal life.'" What jumps out at you?

Answer: How do I know what jumps out at you? I can only tell you what jumps out at me. Most jumpy is this ... Yeshua is promising the blessings, benefits and increase of leaving everything behind for His sake when at the end of the list of blessings, benefits and increase there is this ... "along with persecutions."

What? What are "persecutions" doing in the list of blessings, benefits and increase? Whatever you give up for the sake of Yeshua will be added back "a hundred times as much now in this time" along with persecutions.

Wait, is that optional? Couldn't we just leave the persecutions out of the conversation? Well yes, but that wouldn't be the whole counsel of God. We are called to make sacrifices for the benefit of the Kingdom of God and be glad about it.

2 Timothy 2:12a "if we endure (persecution), we will also reign with Him".

Matthew 10:22 "And you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end shall be saved."

And here's the last word (for today) ... above all, keep the faith.