Psalm 119, Verse 46
I will speak openly of your testimonies without
fear even before kings.
Professing Christians!
Are we ready to bear our testimony for Jesus, against the sneer and ridicule of
the ungodly? We are not likely to "be brought before kings and rulers for
the Son of Man's sake." Yet no less do we need Divine help and strong faith
in withstanding the enmity of a prejudiced relative or scornful neighbour.
Young people! You are perhaps in especial danger of being ashamed of your
Bible, your religion, your Savior. You may bebrought under the snare of the
"fear of man," and be tempted to compromise your religion, and to
sacrifice your everlasting all from a dread of "the reproach of
Christ." But remember him, who for your sake "before Pontius Pilate
witnessed a good confession"; and shall the dread of a name restrain you
from sharing his reproach, and banish the obligations of love and gratitude
from your hearts? Have you forgotten that you once owned the service of Satan? And
will you not be as bold for Christ, as you were for him? Were you once
"glorying in your shame; "and will you now be ashamed of your glory?
Oh! Remember who hath said, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my
words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of
Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Think much and often of this word. Think on this day. Think on the station of
"the fearful and unbelieving" on the left hand on that day. Think on their
eternal doom. What is a prison, compared to hell? What need to pray and
tremble! If you are sincere in your determination, and simple in your dependence,
then will the. "love of Christ constrain you" , not to a cold, calculating,
reluctant service; but to a confession of your Savior, bold, unfettered, and "faithful
even unto death." Every deviation from the straight path bears the
character of being ashamed of Christ. How much have you to speak in behalf of his
testimonies, his ways, his love! When in danger of the influence of "the
fear of man," look to him for strength. He will give to you, as he gave to
Stephen—"a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able
to gainsay or resist." Thus will you, like them, be strengthened "to
profess a good profession before many witnesses."[1]
First
Kings 10:4-5 “And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon,
the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his
officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers,
and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no
more breath in her.”
When the Queen of Sheba beheld the wisdom of
Solomon and his material blessings, she prioritized what was most important and
that was wisdom. Possessions can become a huge stumbling block for the believer
since money can be like a god to them; it provides for all their needs, it
gives them creature comforts when they desire them; and it lets them rest in
the fact that they’re set for a life of ease…however, someone else once thought
that way. Jesus told His audience about a man who had great wealth and said, “I
will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my
grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid
up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” but “God said to him, ‘Fool!
This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared,
whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not
rich toward God”
If we sin,
we are Thine, knowing Thy power: but—we will not sin, knowing that we are
counted Thine. For to know Thee is perfect righteousness: yea, to know Thy
power is the root of immortality.—WISDOM OF SOLOMON xv. 2, 3.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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