Reflecting God ~ Embrace Holy Living ~ Monday, 4 November 2013 ~ ”Risking For The Gospel” ~ Mark 8

Reflecting God ~ Embrace Holy Living ~ Monday, 4 November 2013 ~ ”Risking For The Gospel” ~ Mark 8:31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke to them openly. Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But he, turning around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.”

34 He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it. 36  For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? 37  For what will a man give in exchange for his life? 38  For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his Father’s glory, with the holy angels.”~9:1 He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see God’s Kingdom come with power.”

(Messianic WEB)

” Risking For The Gospel” by Kenneth E. Crow

I listened one evening with a group of pastors to a famous entertainer telling about helping a Christian organization make a documentary on their ministry in a war zone, helping the people ravaged by the war. He told about landing and filming on a road where the sounds of war were all around them. Reflecting on it later, he said, he realized their lives were in danger. At the time, though, he said it didn’t seem unusual for him to take those risks when everyone around him was risking their lives daily as they carried out their ministry.

Jim Elliott, who later gave his life as a missionary in Ecuador, wrote in his journal, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Most of us–most of the time–are not usually called on to actually risk a lot for the sake of the gospel. We may face some opposition to the actions and opinions we take for our faith, but not usually violent resistance. Our temptation seems more likely to be toward protecting our comfortable lives. As we follow Christ, we will resist that temptation.

Hymn for Today:

”Ready” by A. C. Palmer

1. Ready to suffer grief or pain,
Ready to stand the test,
Ready to stay at home and send
Others if He sees best.

Refrain:

Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill,
Ready for service, lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.

2. Ready to go, ready to bear,
Ready to watch and pray,
Ready to stand aside and give,
Till He shall clear the way.

Refrain:

Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill,
Ready for service, lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.

3. Ready to speak, ready to think,
Ready with heart and brain,
Ready to stand where He sees fit,
Ready to bear the strain.

Refrain:

Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill,
Ready for service, lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.

4. Ready to speak, ready to warn,
Ready o’er souls to yearn,
Ready in life, ready in death,
Ready for His return.

Refrain:

Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill,
Ready for service, lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.

Thought for Today:

“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord”(Romans  14:8).

Prayer Needs:

Developing Christian leaders in Trinidad and Tobago.

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Nazarene Publishing House

2923 Troost Avenue 

Kansas City , MO 64109-1593

Nazarene Publishing House

PO Box 843336 

Kansas City , MO 64184-3336

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