Shame for clinging to God

 

An Emoji Devotions for Wed, Feb 9 ,2022

Topic: Shame for clinging to God 

Highlights:

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last for ever, my righteousness will never fail. ‘Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults. (Isaiah 51:6-7)

‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5: 11-12)

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1. Timotheus 6:11-12)

I grew up in a small village in rural Switzerland where all the inhabitants knew each other quite well and almost nothing could be kept hidden from the public knowledge. My parents were part of a small very conservative church that was preaching the Gospel as well as they could, but intertwined it with their view, how a Christian man or women should be clothed and groomed. In the village the “Bergerians” named after their founder with the name Berger were rather looked down upon. We kids had therefore to endure quite a lot of mockery. When in a group our playmates often turned against us and pointing at us chanted: “Jesus Bergerians, Jesus Bergerians … We hated it and more than once we confronted our parents with the fact that we get regularly shamed because of their church affiliation. My father knew the two highlights from Isaiah and Matthew well, and he consoled us with them, telling us that he endured the same shaming in his childhood. Of course his answer was not really satisfying to us kids, but we just had to live with it. Our text from Isaiah tells us that even in the Jewish community the people, who sincerely tried to walk within the decrees of God, got shamed. In the about thirty years Jesus walked the earth, Jesus got shamed and attacked for witnessing his intimate relationship with the Father. He was well aware that his disciples, who live in this world, but do not belong to this world anymore, would get shamed because of his name. He tells us:  ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.’ (John 15:18-21) Being shamed for clinging to God the Father and to his son, Jesus Christ is almost like a medal of honor and should therefore never depress us. Much more it should encourage us to refrain from the futile earthly honors and fight the good fight of faith. Our home is in the heavens and by witnessing God and Jesus despite the mockery and persecution we may have to endure we hold on to the life eternal we have received through the cross and the resurrection of Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

Our reward will surely come and with it, we will deal in tomorrow’s devotional.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus and dear Heavenly Father. I do not enjoy the hate of the world and the disdain that comes with it. But I do thank you that you have open my eyes for the perspective of eternity and I feel humbled and honored that you consider me worthy to bear just a little bite of the spite you both have to endure from the world, despite your incredible love and your offer of life eternal even to all your enemies. I praise you for your love and goodness. Amen